Blood on the Scales
by Maegfen
Summary: Jane is determined to leave the CBI behind, but can Lisbon convince him to stay? Neither of them realise that their actions will start something no-one can stop... Story starts at end of 4x23 (Red Rover Red Rover) then heads off into AU, but features aspects from Season 5 throughout. Jane/ Lisbon
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Jane is determined to leave CBI behind, but can Lisbon convince him to stay? Lisbon/ Jane Season 5 AU

**Disclaimer: **The Mentalist doesn't belong to me, I just enjoy playing in the sandbox I've been provided!

**Rating: **T at the moment, but may rise to M later in the story.

**Spoilers: **Everything up to and including the most recent episodes. This will end up being a sort of Season 5 AU. I won't be following the episodes strictly by any means, but I will most likely take aspects from here and there and twist them to my own weird purposes!

**Authors notes: **Well, I'm back! Hurrah! I've spent the last couple of weeks planning and writing bits and pieces of this, and I'm just about confident enough with the basic premise to post the first chapter and see where it goes. The story starts off right at the end of 04x23 ("Red Rover, Red Rover") straight after Jane is fired by Wainwright, then heads off full speed into AU.

I can't guarantee to update this as quickly as I did Red Tiled Roofs, but I'll certainly try not to leave it too long between posts. I'm going to aim roughly for weekly updates at the moment, but until I finish teaching at the end of June, I can't promise that I'll be able to dedicate as much time to this as I would like. I can, however, tell you that this is probably going to end up being fairly long I think; I have lots of ideas for what I want to include such as cases, Jisbon and other things, so I'm trying to prepare myself for the long haul!

The title for this story comes from the Battlestar Galactica 2003 episode of the same name; it seemed fitting somehow!

Feel free to let me know what you think, I always smile when I have a new review, favourite or follow :) Hope you enjoy…

* * *

She followed him as he marched towards the elevators, struggling to keep up as he walked away from the bullpen.

"Jane, don't do anything rash," she said, looking up at him as he waited by the familiar doors of the elevator. "We can work this out; we'll fix it."

"I doubt that," he replied, his back half turned to her. It seemed he wasn't even going to give her the courtesy of a proper conversation before he walked away from her, the team and the CBI. What was he thinking? If she didn't know better she would have thought he'd planned all of this for some bizarre reason.

Lisbon knew that the look she was giving him was a pleading one, but really, was he about to throw away nearly 10 years of his life over a petulant argument with Wainwright? She knew Jane was stubborn, but she had no idea that he was this petty. All he needed to do was apologise, keep his head down for a pre-determined period of time and then everything could go back to normal. Their version of normal at least.

"I'll come by your place tonight, we'll talk it out ok?" She knew she was practically begging, but she had a horrible feeling that if he left now, there was a chance that he would never come back. And that was a thought that frightened her more than she cared to admit.

Jane was practically smirking as he leaned forward to close the elevator doors.

"You're sweet," was all he had to say apparently, looking at her as the doors slowly began to close. In an instant Lisbon felt a wave of fury flow through her. 9 years working closely together, and "you're sweet" was all she was going to get as a potential goodbye? Like hell it was!

She rushed forward, shoving her arm between the elevator doors and yanked on his jacket, pulling him away from his escape route. He clattered against the metal of the doors as she pulled his sleeve and he rubbed his arm with his free hand as he stood before her, the glare on his face aimed straight at her.

"Lisbon? What the hell?" He looked furious, his tone accusing. He stood rigid, arm pulled in front of him where she held his jacket sleeve. Lisbon briefly wondered if she had pushed him too far. She found she didn't care.

"You think I'm just going to let you waltz off like that? No explanation? No goodbye?" She was still clinging to his sleeve, and she suddenly pulled him in the direction of the attic, as a mother would tug a sulking child. She knew full well that Wainwright and the team were probably watching their interaction from the bullpen and that her boss was likely still furious. She hoped that he valued her opinion enough to allow her to try and fix this. Wainwright wanted Red John as much as the rest of them; he would understand why she was doing this. He had to.

"You want to leave? Fine," she muttered at him at she traipsed up the stairs, the obstinate man still in tow. "But you'll damn well talk to me about it first you jackass." He didn't say anything in reply, just followed her quietly as they approached the attic. She slid the door open and all but pushed him in, not giving him an opportunity to turn and flee. He obediently entered and walked over to look out of the large window, seemingly preferring to look at the Sacramento skyline than her. If she wasn't so pissed at him, she would have admonished him for the childish behaviour.

Lisbon practically huffed as she followed the stubborn man into his makeshift office. Honestly, if Jane was going to be this much of an ass about the whole thing, he could just leave as he planned. She didn't have time to put her career on the line for someone who was going to throw it back in her face.

Jane refused to speak to her until she'd pulled the door to his sanctuary shut behind the two of them and drew the deadbolt. He spun to face her as he heard her slide the door closed, and the look on his face let Lisbon know just how he was feeling; his resentment was written all over his handsome features. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, a determined look in his eye.

The two of them stood facing each other in something akin to a Mexican standoff. Neither were willing to give ground first, both determined to have the last word in their latest argument. Lisbon wouldn't normally have minded, but it seemed to her that the whole situation, her whole working relationship and friendship with the man in front of her had changed in the blink of an eye. She had had no inkling that Jane could be so vicious and cold-hearted in something that wasn't related directly to Red John. If she was honest with herself, this new, malicious side to Jane was not pleasant and just a little bit frightening. It put her on the back foot and that was one place she didn't like to be.

She stood defensively, her back to the door and arms folded across her chest, daring Jane to treat her the same way he had Wainwright. He wouldn't know what hit him if he did. After a tense minute Jane seemed to realise that she wasn't going to back down, and rested his arms by his side. Granted, it seemed like he'd moved his arms with reluctance, but to her, the simple gesture was as good as a surrender.

"So," he said, seemingly not wanting to have this conversation any more than she did. His tone wasn't malicious, but she could tell he still resented her for stopping him.

"So," she merely said in reply, matching his scathing gaze. "Want to explain what the hell that was all about?"

Jane looked at her then, eyebrows creased in frustration. He raised his hand to run through his hair as he let out an almost exasperated sigh.

"Not particularly." He eventually said, the tone implying that he considered the matter closed. "You can leave now you know." He gestured at the door behind her and turned once again to look out of the window, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Behind his back, Lisbon rolled her eyes. _Honestly._

"Yes Jane, of course. I'll just go right now shall I?"

"Sounds like an excellent plan Lisbon. See you later," he mumbled, not shifting from his position by the window.

Lisbon didn't make a move to leave though. Instead she sighed and glanced around the room, before she headed towards his makeshift desk. Jane didn't turn around as her footsteps fell across the old wooden floor, although she could see his jaw set rigidly and she knew he was trying to figure out what she was doing as she approached him from behind. She didn't, however, engage him in any further conversation and he stubbornly refused to turn his head to track her movements.

She grabbed the chair that sat next to the desk and made a big show of dragging it across the floor. The noise of the legs scraping against the wood reminded her of chalk and blackboards from high school, but she ignored it in favour of making a point to the man stood at the window. She placed the chair calmly in front of the attic door, took off her jacket and placed it on the back then sat down, legs and arms crossed. She sat patiently, taking her phone out and sending a quick text to Cho to let him know where she was in case she was needed. The familiar chirp of her cell sounded seconds later, her second in command letting her know that backup was available if required.

An awkward silence followed for the next few minutes. Jane was still refusing to look at her, but Lisbon was quite willing to wait if it meant getting the stupid man in front of her to actually explain what was going on. Eventually, his curiosity regarding her actions became too much for him to ignore. She smirked as he let out another frustrated sigh and turned to face her.

"What are you doing?" He waved his hand vaguely in her direction in question.

"Sitting down. Thought you were the master of observation?" If he wanted to go for non-committal, she could match him blow for blow.

"I am. Clearly you're sat there for some inane reason. There's really no need; I told you that you could leave."

Lisbon looked up at him then, a falsely sweet smile on her lips. She hoped she succeeded in letting him know that he was treading too closely to the boundaries.

"Jane, contrary to popular belief, your dazzling charms do not simply cause every woman in the world to do exactly as you command whenever you deem it necessary. Therefore, I'm going to sit here until you explain what on earth is going through your head, or you decide to physically move me out of the way in order to leave. It's your choice." _Ball's in your court Jane. _She shrugged at him then sat still.

Jane looked at her in bewilderment. Lisbon could clearly see that, for once, she had managed to surprise him. She smiled to herself. Just because she didn't agree with his constant manipulations didn't mean that she couldn't learn a few tricks of the trade. He clearly hadn't expected her to stop him at the elevators, and he _really_ hadn't thought that she would demand his compliance like this.

He still stood by the window, but his hands were now on his hips, a conflicted look on his face. Lisbon could tell that he was struggling to come to a decision, and it was in that moment that she realised that although they were only a few feet apart, it felt like there was a canyon between them. Something had gone wrong between them, something that had led to him being unable, or even unwilling, to trust her.

Her tone immediately softened, trying a different approach. "Please Jane, don't do this; don't distance yourself from everyone. Wainwright will understand. What with the anniversary and everything, we all know you've not been yourself."

"I have been myself Lisbon," he muttered, looking up at her. "This, this arrogance and anger? That's who I really am inside. It's what got my family killed and it's what's likely to get you and everyone else I've been close to in the last 10 years hurt or killed as well. I can't have more deaths on my head Lisbon, surely you understand that?"

Lisbon took a step forward, coming to stand closer to him, hoping to put her point across.

"I've known you for nearly 10 years Jane, and I've never seen you act like I did just now. Not even when Red John is involved. Yes, you've pissed people off and I've seen you angry, but malicious like that? Never!"

He shrugged then, and his actions made her angry again. Did he think that she'd be so easily fooled? She was fast coming to the realisation that he'd planned at least part of the argument with Wainwright, had purposely set out to get himself fired, although to what end she didn't know.

"Please Jane. Trust me. Let me help you." Her tone was pleading again she knew, but she needed him to understand that she was here for him. Even if he was pissed at her, and even if he felt it wasn't fully justified, he still deserved her help. He always did.

He sighed and waited a couple of seconds, looking right at her. He looked to Lisbon as if he was trying to make a big decision about revealing what was going on. Eventually he nodded, as if realising that she wasn't going to use whatever he was going to say against him.

"Alright. I'll tell you. But nothing goes out of this room ok?"

Lisbon didn't say anything, just nodded and sat down on the chair she had vacated earlier and waited, giving him time to process his thoughts. Eventually, after a minute or so, he turned to face her.

"What does Red John want from me?"

She looked up at him in confusion. Jane continued, his tone full of disgust as he spoke of his enemy.

"He sent that little girl to me. Asked me if I was ready to give up yet. He wants me to surrender, to join him. He wants _me_ as one of his disciples. So," he said, moving to lean against the bunk, "I was going to fake a breakdown for his benefit. Make him believe that it had all gotten too much for me and that I was prepared to sell my soul to get some peace."

He looked at her then, and Lisbon could tell that he was probably already regretting telling her this much of his so called 'plan'. Really, did Jane _honestly_ think that faking a breakdown was the best way to get Red John's attention? He really was an idiot.

"So," she started, looking up at him, "let me get this straight. You were going to fake a breakdown, get yourself fired and then what? Hope that Red John came knocking on your motel door and ask you to join him no questions asked."

Jane shook his head almost guiltily.

"No. I was thinking more of disappearing to Vegas for a while and seeing what happened. Red John knows, or at least he thinks he does, that I'm on the edge and that I'm close to giving up. It's why I burnt the Red John files."

"I still can't believe you did that by the way, Security were convinced you were going to burn the place down."

"It's fine, I made copies beforehand and kept the fire contained in that garbage bin, despite the big deal Security made about it. It was all part of the show Lisbon; never know who's watching now. I used the fire to show whoever Red John's spy is that I was slowly losing it."

"And apart from some vague plan to disappear to Vegas, were there any other bright ideas in there? If Red John approached you…"

"Not if, _when_," he interrupted.

"Ok, _when_," she stressed, rolling her eyes at him, "Red John approached you, did you have a plan at all?"

He was silent then and bowed his head as he mumbled, so quiet that she missed what he said.

"Sorry, what was that?" He didn't repeat himself, so Lisbon stood and moved towards him, coming to a stop right in front of him. "Jane? What were you going to do?"

He sighed and looked up at her, his eyes filled with something that looked like shame.

"Lull him into a false sense of security, get him to trust me then kill him the first opportunity I got."

She paused. Lisbon had always known what his endgame was, had always fought with him about it. But to put that part of the plan in place with all of the other puzzle pieces made her worried and a little angry.

"So, when you were leaving earlier, you were just going to disappear to Vegas, continue to fake a breakdown, wait for Red John to meet you then kill him. All without saying goodbye?" She was angry with herself as she realised her voice had broken just a little and she could feel start of tears in her eyes. Thankfully, Jane's head was bowed, his chin resting on his chest so he wasn't witness to her almost blatant show of emotion.

He didn't say anything in reply, as if realising just what his actions would have done to her. Lisbon dreaded to think what could have happened. Would he have ever called or text, found any way of keeping in touch with her? She could just imagine going five or six months without hearing from him, and then suddenly being informed by Wainwright that Jane had been arrested, or worse, found dead, murdered by the man he'd set out to kill himself. God, she never would have recovered. How could he have even considered this as a sensible plan? How could he have believed that she wouldn't have wanted to help? She managed to compose herself before she spoke again.

"I have to be honest Jane," she said, a hint of humour in her voice, "Your plan is pretty stupid. And reckless, even for you. And you would have probably ended up dead because of it. But…" she paused then, waiting until his eyes met hers before she continued, and she tentatively reached out to grab his hand, fingers gripping the tips of his ever so slightly. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me what it was."

He lifted his head then and smiled slightly at her words, and Lisbon was glad to see that the anger and resentment she had seen in his features not too long ago had disappeared, replaced by the man she knew and considered her friend. He reached to hold her hand completely then, threading his fingers through hers. He didn't look at her now, and Lisbon saw that his eyes were focused purely on their linked hands. She gave his fingers a little squeeze in reassurance.

"It's ok Lisbon. I should have trusted you with it all before, but once things went into motion I felt I couldn't risk your life or anyone else's."

Lisbon was still close to him, their hands still linked, and she took a shiny step forward. Jane looked at her inquisitively, clearly wondering what she was up to. Normally she tried to maintain a somewhat professional distance from people, especially Jane, but now, after he'd trusted her with something like this she found she couldn't. Lisbon realised that the reason he'd wanted to escape without saying goodbye was not because he didn't trust her or the others, but because he felt some sort of need to protect them all.

She reluctantly dropped his hand, immediately missing the contact. Instead, she reached out and placed a small hand on his chest, the reassuring beat of his heart having a steadying effect as she steeled herself to reveal her next words. It was all or nothing now. There was no going back, no hiding anything from him. He'd know if she was lying anyway. He always did.

"That was never your decision to make Jane. We all knew what we signed up for when we joined this team, and we all know how Red John operates. We've all been at risk for a long time and we've all known it. He isn't your burden to carry alone anymore. We're a team, a family even. The sooner you remember that, the quicker we can all work together to bring him down."

And, drawing closer, giving him plenty of time to move away, she reached up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, her lips touching the light stubble on his face. She hadn't intended it to be anything more than a comforting gesture, a way to let him know that he meant something to someone, meant something to her. But somehow there was a heavy weight that came with the kiss. It suddenly felt intimate, a symbol of something deep and underlying between them. Lisbon realised that she'd probably made a huge mistake, especially given that Jane had essentially frozen in place as soon as her lips had touched his skin.

She immediately felt like an idiot. 9 years of semi-reluctant hugs, a little bit of flirting and a lot of arguments and all of a sudden she decided to hold his hand and then kiss him. No wonder the man was shocked and likely confused. She pulled away and stared at her shoes in embarrassment.

Lisbon felt a finger under her chin and she reluctantly looked up, looking once more into his eyes, and was relieved to see that he seemed to have gotten over his awkwardness. He stood there, hands now shoved in his pockets, looking at her with an inane grin on his face.

All she could think to do was roll her eyes. She still felt flustered, even if he didn't.

"Look Jane, you know I… you know I care about you right? That I consider you a friend. A good friend; possibly even my best friend." She watched as he nodded, but he didn't reply. She was thankful for that; she wasn't sure what she'd say if he'd called her on her feelings. "Please, don't abandon us just because of a stupid argument. Stay here, and we'll work on finding him together, like we always have. If he comes for us then so be it; we'll be better prepared if we're all together, not with the team here and you 600 miles away in some God-awful casino."

She could see from the look in his eyes that he was taking the words she said seriously, but that there was something behind his cool exterior that probably wanted to tell her 'no', to tell her that they were all better off if he were allowed to carry on with his ridiculous plan. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke, his voice low.

"Wainwright will never take me back. You heard what he said."

"Leave Wainwright to me; he'll understand. And if in doubt, you could always hypnotise him I guess," she smiled up at him then, hoping that her humour would snap him out of his slightly melancholy mood.

He raised a questioning eyebrow up at her.

"Teresa Lisbon endorsing the use of hypnotism? I must be important."

"Of course you're important. Don't you dare think anything different Jane. You'll always be important to me, even when you're an ass and causing me too many paperwork-related headaches. I don't fill out all those forms for just anybody you know."

"So, you really want me to stay?"

"Of course I do you idiot. But don't start fishing for compliments Jane. Believe me, I'm still pissed at you."

"Noted. And you'll speak to Wainwright for me?"

She nodded slightly before she spoke. "That is, if you want to continue working here?"

"I do. He's close Lisbon, I just know it. I suppose if I leave now everything I… we've worked for these last 10 years will be for nothing. I want to stay. If Wainwright will take me back that is. That's the key thing I suppose." He ran his hand through his hair again, as if still unsure of his actions. Lisbon was still slightly wary; she figured Jane might still try and make a break for it given half a chance.

"I'll go speak to him now. Hang around here; he'll probably want a personal apology, and there'll more than likely be a suspension involved, but I'm sure you'll find something to keep yourself occupied with for few weeks."

She smiled up at him, letting him know that she was willing to fight for him, that she wanted him here, with the team; with her. He returned the smile and pulled her to him, reaching to envelope her in a tight hug. Lisbon was initially surprised, and then relaxed into the comforting gesture.

"Thanks Lisbon. For not giving up on me."

"Think nothing of it Jane. I'll always be there to help you out; you know that right?"

He didn't say anything in reply, but she felt him nod against her shoulder.

* * *

Hours later, after several long meetings with various combinations of herself, Jane, Wainwright and Bertram, Lisbon sunk heavily onto her sofa clad in her most comfortable football jersey, a cold beer in one hand and the remains of the previous night's Chinese in the other. She flicked on the TV, hoping to catch the end of the Cubs game, and settled for a bit of ESPN when the baseball proved elusive.

She was just waiting for the analysis of the game she'd missed when a soft knock sounded at the door. She glanced at the clock on the mantle. 10:30pm. There was only one person she knew who would bother her at this time of the evening. Sighing and pulling her jersey as far as she could down her legs, she wandered over to the door.

She hadn't seen much of Jane since the meetings had concluded earlier that evening. Wainwright, with prompting from both herself and Bertram, had reluctantly accepted him back in the CBI's employ. Jane had, fortunately, kept his mouth shut during a majority of the meetings, and had accepted Wainwright's terms of a month's suspension and a 3 month probation period with good grace. Even more surprisingly, Lisbon thought, was that the apology he had bestowed upon the young CBI chief had sounded sincere. It seemed that he'd finally realised that he had overstepped the boundaries and was willing to put his pride aside to stay on the Red John case; to stay with them.

She figured he'd wandered off to sort out the attic, seeing as he was effectively banned from CBI for a month. She didn't want to crowd him, knew that she'd played a part in his reinstatement and that she'd likely never get as much as a thank you from him. That was just how Jane worked, and Lisbon knew he was never really going to change.

She unbolted her door and pulled it open, looking up to meet the bright green eyes of Patrick Jane. He was still wearing the same suit from earlier, although it was now looking slightly more rumpled. She thought, on reflection, that he'd probably been napping in the attic the entire time; she wouldn't put it past him.

"Hey," he said, as means of a hello. "Can I come in?"

"Hey yourself," she said, waving him inside, stepping back as his made his way past her in the doorway. He looked her up and down, obviously making note of her less than professional attire, and she belatedly realised that a majority of her legs were still on show. She felt a little shiver go down her spine as she felt his gaze on her. "You want a drink or something?"

He didn't say anything in reply, just shook his head looking decidedly awkward as he stood in the middle of her living room. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, and Lisbon almost laughed at the look on his face. It was as if he was a teenager picking up his first date. She wondered what was wrong, so she asked him.

He frowned slightly, as if unsure of what to say. It was so unlike Jane to be lost for words that Lisbon was instantly on edge. She could sense that something was wrong.

"Jane? What's the matter?"

He sighed and looked at her then, pinning her with a look that suggested that whatever he was about to say wouldn't be good news.

"I'm leaving," he said eventually. That was it. Two simple words. In two words he'd managed to make the bottom of her world drop out from under her. It took her a couple of seconds to work through her shock to answer. Her tone was accusing when she replied, her hands placed on her hips as she faced him.

"What do you mean you're leaving? I thought you were going to stay. After everything I did for you today, everything we spoke about, you're still going to leave?"

She was angry again then. He'd led her on, essentially got her to beg and plead for Wainwright and Bertram to keep him on and he was still going to leave? She didn't know what to say.

"No!" he said quickly, as if sensing that he'd made a mistake in stating his intentions so bluntly. "Not forever. Just for a bit."

"Oh. Ok." She was keeping her answers short, because she was likely to explode if she had to speak in full sentences.

"I'll be gone for my suspension. Going to go for a bit of a drive I think. Going to head to Vegas, Malibu. Couple of other places maybe. I told Pete I'd try and catch up with him and the others at some point as well; haven't seen them for a couple of years and now I've got the time…"

Lisbon merely nodded, trying to process everything. He wasn't leaving, not permanently at least. And he'd had the decency to come and tell her first, not just disappearing off into the ether. It seemed that she'd actually managed to get through to him about what he meant to her and the team, that he was worthy of their trust and vice versa. She was relieved that he didn't seem intent on following through with his ridiculous plan from earlier, although, she thought, if he was leaving now he probably still had something still up his sleeve.

"When you heading out?" She asked, looking up at him.

"In a bit, going to see if I can reach Vegas by morning and check in somewhere."

"Right." Lisbon honestly didn't know what to say. Did he expect her to try and talk him out of leaving again? She was fed up with the mixed signals from this man to be truthful.

They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Jane motioned to the door.

"Well," he said, moving quickly. "Better be off then." He turned then, and walked purposefully to the door, resting his hand on the handle without turning it.

"Uh, yeah. Ok," was all she could think to say, Jane's demeanour throwing her into total confusion.

There was more awkward silence, and Lisbon had a feeling that Jane hadn't driven here just with the intention of telling her what his plans were. He seemed to stand at the door for an eternity before he dropped his hand and turned back to face her, a determined look on his face. Lisbon was confused. Did he want to leave or not? She watched as he moved to stand in front of her. When he didn't seem to do anything, Lisbon looked up at him.

"Jane?"

He suddenly lent forward, placing his hands softly on her cheeks, drawing her face closer to his. He gave her plenty of time to back away, just as she had done for him in the attic. However, instead of the awkward kiss on the cheek she had bestowed upon him earlier, the kiss he gave her on her lips was soft and, she realised, a promise of something more.

He pulled away almost as soon as he'd placed his lips to hers, his thumbs brushing her cheeks as he moved away and Lisbon had to fight the urge to raise her fingers to her lips where they still tingled from his touch. He stepped back slightly, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets. The awkwardness returned, lingering between them just like it had in the attic earlier. Lisbon was tempted to just grab his jacket and pull him to her, to kiss him properly. But, she realised, that probably wouldn't be the wisest decision she could ever make.

Jane eventually spoke, smiling shyly at her, looking much younger. "I realised while I was packing that you'd given up a lot to get Wainwright to allow me to stay; I'm pretty sure your career progress will be slim to none now, and you sacrificed that for me. I wanted to thank you for that. For believing in me that much to give up what you value most."

She didn't really know what to say to that. God, why did this man have to confuse her so much? Eventually she felt that she had to reply and let him know what his words had meant to her.

"Oh." Apparently receiving a kiss from Patrick Jane left her dumbstruck and unable to put a sentence together. "Well, you're welcome. For, uh, saying thank you." She said stupidly, wincing as she realised the inanity of her words. He chuckled.

"Don't mention it. Just thought I'd leave you something to remember me by while I'm gone." He laughed again at the roll of her eyes as he wiggled his eyebrows slightly, clearly refering to the kiss. She wasn't going to over think the gesture, it was dangerous territory and she knew it.

"Oh yes, because the mountains of paperwork I've still to do isn't a constant reminder."

"Meh, it'll run out soon enough; I won't be around to help add to it. You'll have it finished in no time I'm sure."

"Yeah, well, that'll be a relief. I might actually be able to get home before midnight while you're gone."

He smiled at her, thankfully not raising his obvious concerns about her workaholic tendencies. Although, to be fair, he was just as bad as she was so there was no valid argument on his behalf. He glanced around the room then, as if looking for an answer to an unspoken question, then returned his gaze to hers.

"I'll keep in touch as much as I can. I can't promise every day, but I'll let you know where I am."

She smiled. "That's fine." She waved towards the door. "Go on, you better get moving. Vegas is a long drive away. And Jane?" she said, and she watched as he turned slightly to look at her, "I didn't sacrifice anything; I would do anything to help you, you should know that by now."

He didn't say anything in reply, just smiled and nodded once and opened the door, disappearing quietly into the night. Lisbon watched the lights of his car fade as reached the end of the street and decided to head straight to bed, abandoning the TV and the Chinese once again. She had a feeling it was going to be a long month without him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **Jane is determined to leave CBI behind, but can Lisbon convince him to stay? Lisbon/ Jane Season 5 AU

**Disclaimer: **The Mentalist doesn't belong to me, I just enjoy playing in the sandbox I've been provided with!

**Rating: **T at the moment, but may rise to M later in the story.

**Spoilers: **Everything up to and including the most recent episodes, just to be safe. This will end up being a sort of Season 5 AU. I won't be following the episodes strictly by any means, but I will most likely take aspects from here and there and twist them to my own weird purposes!

**Author's notes: **Here's the second chapter for you all, hope you enjoy :-) Still setting up a lot plot, case and relationship wise so bear with me; I wanted to make more of the Jane/ Lisbon relationship in this one to see if I could make it feasible while adding elements of Season 5… It's pretty fun writing it so far, and I'm definitely excited for what I've got planned later on in the story ;-)

As I've said previously, I won't be simply following the episodes of Season 5 and adding to them. Instead, I'll be taking little bits and pieces of cases, or certain characters, and tweaking interactions and circumstances in a way that hopefully still seems realistic but adds more to my story than they would in their original setting. So please, don't think that I'm completely ignoring canon; I'm just using and abusing it for the good of the story I want to tell ;-) That's what makes it an AU after all!

I've got a prologue and another half a chapter written of a multi-chapter follow-up to my 5x22 tag as well; it appears the finale has inspired me, which should keep me busy through this awful hiatus. I probably won't post it for a little while yet, not until I've got a little more of the actual plot sorted etc. I'm also not entirely sure I can keep up with 2 WIPs at once either, but we shall see!

Any and all feedback is welcome, it never fails to brighten my day!

* * *

_Do you think there's a world record for the shortest time to be banned from all the casinos on the Strip? _

Lisbon stared at the screen of her cell in bewilderment. What on earth was Jane actually _doing_ in Vegas? He'd told her that he'd stay out of trouble, which, in her honest opinion, didn't involve trying to get oneself thrown out of all the major gambling establishments in a big tourist city. She rolled her eyes and replied, her fingers moving quickly over the buttons of the phone in her hand.

_What? How may have you been banned from so far?!_

His reply wasn't long in coming and Lisbon could just imagine him leaning against a bar or in a café sipping a cup of tea and watching the world go by as he waited for her answer.

_4_

Lisbon resisted the urge to rest her head on her desk as she read the reply. Even when he _wasn't_ in the general vicinity he was giving her headaches. Reaching over the small pile of paperwork in front of her, she picked up her lukewarm mug of coffee, took a small sip and messaged him back.

_HOW?! You've only been there 36 hours!_

_Apparently they don't like it when you count cards._

She could practically see him then, fleecing the casinos and arrogant players within of their money while charming the women with his smile and pissing off the men with his general demeanour. Honestly, it was a surprise he hadn't been in a fight yet; she _really_ shouldn't have let him go off unsupervised. There was only one word she could think of to describe him at that moment, and she took great satisfaction in sending it to him, knowing that if it didn't bring a smile to his face, it certainly did to hers…

_Idiot…_

He didn't reply after that, and she hoped it was down to the fact that he'd was putting his 'skills' to better use rather than being thrown rather unceremoniously onto the streets of Las Vegas. She'd thought he was taking this time off to relax and have a break, not cause trouble. She shook her head. Actually, she was pretty sure that Jane didn't know _how_ to take time off and relax, so she guessed that this behaviour was about par for the course. She tried not to panic too much at the sudden lack of communication and carried on with her paperwork.

XxXxX

His messages arrived fairly regularly after that, with the topics ranging from interesting facts about his location (_Did you know that there are over 1700 licenced places to gamble in Vegas?) _to the inane:

_Did you know the Mandalay Bay has an aquarium? I think you'd like it._

_I don't like fish; too wriggly. Like snakes. Or worms._

_Spoken like a true Chicago native. I bet you don't even like seafood on your pizza._

_Blasphemy!_

She could just imagine his grin as he knew that he'd got a rise out of her. Ass.

_They have crocodiles and piranhas too btw._

_Better._

It didn't matter what the content was, she was always happy to hear from him, safe in the knowledge that he seemed to have completely discarded his 'fake breakdown' plan and had instead settled on merely having some time off to sort himself out and relax a little. (Although she had told him repeatedly to stop texting her at 3 in the morning when he couldn't sleep, some of them still had work to do after all.)

XxXxX

Jane next text her couple of days later when she was curled up with a trashy romance novel and a glass of wine: her usual 'go-to' staple when she'd had to spend a long afternoon in the company of Wainwright for finance meetings. Luther was nice enough, and had been reasonably ok with her after begrudgingly re-employing Jane, but Lisbon had a feeling he'd added a few extra slides to his powerpoint presentation as some form of latent punishment for her actions. She sighed and picked up her cell that she'd abandoned on her coffee table as she'd poured the wine.

_I've just been given free tickets to Celine Dion. Good idea?_

Lisbon rolled her eyes and smirked to herself before she replied.

_The fact that you've been given them for free should be a sign._

His reply was almost instantaneous, and she could practically _see_ the roll of his eyes as she imagined him sat in some hotel room on the strip.

_Point taken._

_Always here to help remember; including saving you from 2.5 hours of warbling._

_My eardrums thank you :)_

Lisbon tried to ignore the fact that she was now grinning like an idiot. Really, could she not have a 'normal' relationship with people? And since when had her interactions with Jane been classed as a relationship? They were just friends. Really. Despite the kiss that he'd given her before he'd left. Which meant nothing. At all.

She picked up the romance novel and glass of wine and tried to ignore the fact that the handsome blond lead character on the cover looked eerily familiar.

XxXxX

_Hypothetically, if I was to be arrested, would you post bail for me?_

It was not the kind of message she particularly wanted first thing on a Monday morning, _especially_ when she hadn't yet had her first cup of coffee. Lisbon sighed and put down the thick file on her desk, and typed out a reply, scowling at the phone as she did so.

_Jane? Are you likely to be arrested at some point in the near future?_

_No comment._

Really, he was the most frustrating…

_Jane…_

_I don't think so. I hope. I'm pretty sure I paid everything back. With interest._

_Oh God you really are an idiot._

After that exchange she made it a habit of checking the arrest records in Vegas every day. Just in case.

XxXxX

Two weeks after his departure, Lisbon sat quietly in her office, carefully making her way through the latest pile of financial reports for Luther. She could hear Rigsby and Cho in the bullpen, arguing over something, although the tone was light-hearted rather than aggressive. Lisbon knew that Van Pelt was currently in with their victim's widow taking a statement about her husband's final hours and all in all it was turning out to be a pretty quiet morning.

A knock on the door got her attention, and she looked up to see Paul from the mail room peering in through her door. She smiled and told him to come in.

"Hi Paul, how're you today?"

"Really well thank you Teresa. Slow day?" he said, waving at the masses of paperwork strewn across her desk.

"Yeah, gotta love that paperwork!" She smiled. Paul was one of the nice guys at CBI, quiet, hard-working and not too bad to look at (not that she'd ever admit that to anyone). "Got something for me?"

Paul nodded, reaching over to the cart that held all the external mail deliveries. He reached in and pulled out a thin piece of card, and handed it over, before saying a cheery "goodbye" and leaving the office.

Lisbon looked at the card. It looked like a photo; a picture of the Vegas Strip was on one side, the bright neon of the night-time lights making for a beautiful scene. Lisbon knew that it wasn't a simple picture however, and flipped it over to reveal that it was in fact a postcard. There was only one person who could have sent her this, especially one specifically from Vegas. Lisbon smiled as she read the words written in Jane's familiar scrawl. There weren't many, his message short and frankly, quite sweet.

_Lisbon,_

_Wish you were here,_

_J_

Lisbon smiled and held the card in front of her. She didn't really know what to make of it. It took her a couple of seconds to realise that Cho was stood by the door and was apparently trying to talk to her about something. She shook her head and looked up at her second-in-command.

"Sorry Cho, didn't catch that."

"Just wanted to know if you wanted to come with to question the sister? Turns out she wasn't out with her friend on the night of the murder; Rigsby's just heard back from her and the alibi's a no go."

Lisbon stood up, turning to pick up her jacket from the back of her chair. "Yeah, let's go. Rigsby can stay and go through the sister's financials, see if there's a motive there."

Cho merely nodded and left the room, heading off to tell Rigsby his next assignment. Lisbon realised she still held Jane's postcard in her hand, and she looked round for somewhere to place it. She settled on leaning it against the monitor of her computer, writing side facing her so she could re-read the words. As she exited her office she pulled out her cell and sent Jane a quick message.

_Thanks for the card, it's lovely._

_No problem, didn't want you to miss out on the sights… I meant it btw :)_

Lisbon merely smiled, placed the phone back in her pocket and headed off after Cho.

XxXxX

She didn't hear from him for a couple of days after she'd thanked him for her card, but eventually he sent her a message to let him know what he was up to.

_Got to the fair earlier this morning; Pete and Sam say hello._

Lisbon was pleased to hear he'd made it to the fair safely. Plus, there was the added bonus that he was no longer able to cause trouble in Vegas, which was good. Lisbon had been convinced that she would have had to post bail for him at some point after his vague messages the week before.

_Glad to hear you made it there safely. Give them my best. And give Daisy an apple from me. _

_I _knew_ you had a soft spot for our pachyderm friend_

_Shut up_

Once again she was grinning like a fool. Honestly, it was only Jane; there was no way that she should be glancing at her phone every 5 seconds, disappointed when he didn't reply straight away and giddy when he did. Sure, they'd established that he was her best friend and she was the closest he had to one, but she was a grown adult and a senior agent in the CBI. She should not be getting giggly over a text message like a besotted teenager.

But giggle was exactly what she did when he next replied. Lisbon suddenly realised what she must look like and groaned, resting her head on her arms: she was definitely doomed.

_XxXxX_

_Thinking I need to quit this CBI gig after all Lisbon. I think I've found my true calling!_

_Oh yeah? What's that?_

_Lion taming!_

_I really don't know what to say to that…_

XxXxX

_Heading to Malibu for a while. Got to check up on a few things while I'm there._

Lisbon had known that a trip to his old house had been on his agenda; he'd mentioned it when he'd come round to her house that night. The fact, however, that Jane was heading there with just over a week of his suspension remaining made her a little worried. He rarely spent more than a weekend in his old home anymore, and she knew he struggled to be there even that long. However, the tenth anniversary of his family's death had been so recent that she supposed an extended stay was what he needed to clear his head.

Whatever the reason for his prolonged visit, Lisbon knew him well enough to leave him to it; his home in Malibu was one thing that they mentioned rarely, if at all. Instead, she simply sent as comforting a message as she could and allowed him the time and space he so obviously needed.

_Ok. Stay safe. Let me know if you need anything._

His message was a short time in arriving, as if he had been in the middle of something. She was glad he did reply though, at least she knew that he'd received her words. Whether he would actually call her if he needed her remained to be seen, but it was good enough for the time being at least.

_Will do. Thanks._

XxXxX

Lisbon didn't really hear from him at all after his announcement that he was heading to Malibu. She knew that whenever he stayed in his old house he was normally unreachable for days, so the lack of communication wasn't unusual. And he _had_ said that he'd call her if he needed anything. So that was good.

She was glad he was only likely to be gone for another week at most though. His suspension was nearly up, and while the team were coping, solving cases through good old fashioned police work, all of them felt that something was missing. Apparently, Jane's habit of pissing off everyone from witnesses to Bertram had become the norm, and now that there was no extra drama involved with the job, everyone on the team seemed to just be going through the motions rather than finding a deep enjoyment when conducting an investigation.

Their latest case, however, was nothing short of a headache. Double homicide, male and female victims; one strangled to death, one dead from blunt force trauma. Normally it would be a run of the mill job, but unfortunately Wainwright and Bertram had decided that Lisbon's team had needed assistance in the form of Ray Haffner and his team. While Lisbon usually got on ok with Haffner, she sometimes hated having to work alongside another team. It normally slowed the process down and it often ended up being a case of 'too many cooks.'

Plus, there was the added difficulty surrounding the fact that Jane had managed to piss off the other agent in a major way the year before by screwing with his team and making him look like an ass. In her opinion, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Still, there wasn't a lot she could do about it now, and she just hoped that Haffner was professional enough to let bygones be bygones.

Wainwright had told her that Haffner's involvement wasn't anything to do with their inability to investigate the case properly, but more about ensuring that Jane's return to the CBI went as smoothly as possible when. Luther felt that having an outside team around would prompt Jane to be on his best behaviour and force him to think about his actions more carefully. Lisbon had tried to protest with no luck; Haffner's team would be part of the investigation and Jane's return would be monitored closely for any signs of disruption. Lisbon didn't think that Wainwright actually realised that Jane cared little for anybody outside of the team; having other agents there, especially Haffner, was more likely to cause his mischievous side to rear its head than anything else.

She also had the feeling that Haffner would be reporting back to Wainwright on more than the consultant's return, and she made a note to let the others know that their actions would likely be under scrutiny for the course of the investigation. It was a shame really. Her team got on well and rarely failed to close cases (partially due to Jane's influence) but Lisbon felt as if her whole team were being treated as if they had been under suspension rather than just Jane. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were all close and had all probably stepped too close to the line on more than one occasion; heaven knows that JJ LaRoache's internal investigation the previous year had set them all on edge; maybe these were the repercussions from that incident.

Lisbon tried to ignore it and made it her goal to prove to Haffner, Wainwright and anyone else who had doubts that her team were the best and were the best for a reason. She just had to watch Jane closely when he returned and keep him in check. Which was a big a task in and of itself when she thought about it.

What she needed was a quick solution to the case, and really, for that, she and the others needed Jane back. Quickly.

* * *

That was why it was a relief when she walked into her office early one morning 6 days later to find Jane strewn across her couch, puzzle book folded on his chest, a cold cup of tea by his side and soft snores emanating from the man himself. She smiled at the sight, and quietly moved to sit at her desk, hunting across the surface for the perfect object. Finding a small eraser, she took aim, threw and grinned as it landed smack on the middle of his forehead.

The next few seconds sent her into hysterics, her quiet giggles breaking the silence of the room. Jane, woken swiftly from his slumber, moved to sit up to find the source of the attack, but misjudged his position on the couch. He therefore ended up sat on the floor of the office having landed on his backside as he slipped from the piece of furniture, book by his side and a confused look on his face.

He glared at Lisbon, and she just grinned in return, before standing up to offer him a hand. There was a mischievous look in his eyes, and as she reached him she had a sudden fear that he was going to pull her down to join him on the floor. Thankfully he didn't and instead took the proffered hand and got up. If he held her hand a little longer than was proper, she tried to ignore it.

"You're back," she said by way of greeting, a smile gracing her lips.

"Apparently. Do you welcome back all of your colleagues with erasers to the head, or is that treatment reserved just for me?" He absently rubbed his wrist where it had caught the edge of the couch during his fall, but Lisbon thought it was a motion done to earn sympathy rather than due to actual injury.

She took in his appearance for the first time in a month. The suit was still there, although at the present time his jacket was off and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His usually neat shirt was rumpled and half un-tucked from his rest on the couch. He stood up taller now, and Lisbon watched as he grimaced slightly when his neck popped as he rolled it from side to side. He glared at her muttered "creaky", but then his expression changed, as if determined to challenge her. She felt _something_ in the room change, the atmosphere shifting slightly and Lisbon had the sneaking suspicion that the two of them were probably about to do something _very_ stupid.

He slowly stretched his arms over his head, clearly under the guise of being recently awoken, and Lisbon watched as his shirt rode up his body slightly, revealing a tiny bit of skin at his hip. Not a scandalous amount, but enough for her to feel the faint heat of a blush spread across her cheek. She could practically _see_ his knowing smirk out of the corner of her eye. Clearly he'd caught her reaction, and judging by his soft chuckle, revelled in it. Jackass. Still, despite all that, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the patch of skin, and she almost groaned in frustration as Jane swung his arms down to his side almost playfully, his action causing the naked skin to disappear under the still rumpled shirt.

Lisbon decided that she needed to take action, because blatantly checking out her consultant at 6:30 in the morning had _not_ been on her agenda when she'd entered her office. Still, she was never one to pass up an opportunity to play him at his own game, so she slowly, teasingly, drew her eyes up his body, fighting back the flutter in her stomach as she did so. Despite his constant moaning at her calls for him to exercise, Jane was not out of shape by any means. She suspected that he at least spent _some_ time at the CBI gym when no one was around, notorious insomniac that he was, but she'd never felt the need to ask. She drew her eyes to his forearms, on show thanks to his rolled up sleeves, and continued on her quest up his body, to the faint hint of collar bone at the open neck of his shirt, to his throat and finally to his lips. The same ones that had kissed her a month ago.

Lisbon had spent way too much time over his absence thinking about The Kiss, replaying it in her mind, overanalysing it. She was sure that Jane had only meant it purely as a 'thank you' gesture, but every time she dwelt on it she could feel her heart give a little flutter. With every replay something else bubbled to the surface of her memory; the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his hands on her cheeks, the feel of his lips on hers. Jane's actions had thrown her for a loop, the kiss causing her to spend a large amount of time while he'd been away just trying to determine _what_ her feelings for the man actually were. And, after a month of introspection, she still didn't have a definitive answer, much to her frustration.

She shook her head, trying to focus on the now. Which was apparently a mistake, because in the midst of her musing, Jane had taken a slight step forward and was now stood right in front of her. Clearly he was up to something, although Lisbon was not entirely sure exactly what that was.

The tension in the room was practically crackling, and Lisbon was suddenly unsure of what to do. Potential feelings for the man or no, they probably shouldn't be doing this in the middle of her office when someone could easily walk in. Lisbon had no idea what he was going to do, could only hold her breath as he moved closer. She took an involuntary step back, unused to his presence _quite_ so far into her personal space. She stopped as her back hit her desk, and she realised that she had nowhere else to go.

The look in Jane's eyes was almost feral, as if her blatant scrutiny of his body had unleashed something primal within him. Which, Lisbon mused, was weird and scary and exciting all at once. He leaned into her, his lips heading to her ear. He was suddenly too close, and Lisbon felt the tell-tale flutter rush through her stomach. Her back was still against her desk, and Jane moved forward again, this time placing his hands either side of her, surrounding her with his presence. He half stood between her legs and Lisbon knew that the position was almost intimate. Thoughts of them being in a more private setting suddenly rushed through her head and she forced herself to push them away; now was not the time. He leaned in to her, much like he had done when he'd kissed her and Lisbon's breath caught in her chest. How could this man affect her so much? She could see his eyes flicker over her face, and she could have sworn his breath hitched slightly as he regarded her.

"Why Lisbon," he whispered, low and husky in her ears, and she shivered slightly, "if I didn't know better I'd say you missed me!" And he placed a soft kiss just below her ear before stepping back, folding his arms and standing in the middle of her office as if nothing had happened.

She was frozen by his action, and looking at the smirk on his face he knew it as well. Had it all been a game to him? Something in his eyes revealed that it hadn't been, something lying just beneath the surface. Had Jane been affected by the last few minutes as she had? She studied him carefully and noted his chest rising in deep calming breaths and realised that yes, she'd had just as much of an effect on him as he had on her. That was good to know. It was also dangerous; clearly something had shifted in their relationship since he had left, maybe even before that, and now was apparently the time when everything was beginning to come to the fore. Lisbon had no idea what to do about it. At all.

She stood up straighter then, her legs slightly shaky and looked up at him. She decided the best thing to do would to ignore this, at least until they'd both had time to process what was going on. _If_ something was to happen between them, she didn't want to rush into it; it wouldn't be fair on either of them if they ran headlong into this and ended up wrecking their relationship. She wasn't sure either of them would recover if that happened.

"I admit to nothing," she said, standing tall and confident, a slight smile on her face and she made a show of rolling her eyes, giving him a clear signal that they were to carry on as usual. The faint nod and soft smile he gave her in return was good enough to show her that he understood. Good.

Lisbon smiled and motioned towards the door, willing herself to calm down as she spoke.

"Drink? I'm in need of caffeine and I think your tea's gone cold."

Jane nodded and grabbed the familiar blue cup and saucer, grimacing at the wasted liquid in the cup and followed her to the break room.

They spent the time preparing their drinks making no mention of the incident in her office and simply catching up on inanities; how many cases the team had had (4), what Bertram had roped them into doing (mandatory PR seminar), how many times Rigsby had looked forlornly at Van Pelt across the bullpen (too many to count). The four week separation had done nothing to harm their friendship Lisbon realised, and she was thankful that he'd clearly had time to relax.

Lisbon watched as Jane lent back against the island in the middle of the break room, now that there was a suitable distance between them and the atmosphere wasn't quite as charged. She had to admit, he looked well for the time off he'd had. His hair was a little longer, and there were more blond highlights in the curls. She figured it was probably due to the time he'd inevitably spent outside in Malibu; she knew he liked to sit on the beach by his house and think. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, the two of them quite content to just watch the kettle boil and the coffee percolate.

Despite the fact that she hadn't tried to overthink his absence, Lisbon had missed Jane while he had been away, constant messages of his whereabouts aside. His physical presence was a comfort in times of need, and, despite the large amount of paperwork he generated though his actions, he _did_ close a hell of a lot of cases. Clearly there was now a feeling that the two of them could develop something more than friendship, especially after what had just occurred in her office. She knew that she felt _something_ for the man, although trying to figure out precisely what that was caused her a vast amount of confusion and an inevitable headache. He was her best friend, and the one person who she trusted most in the world. However, the prospect of actually being in a relationship with him was an almost alien concept. He was too focused on Red John, too determined to seek vengeance to even think of her in that way, let alone be willing to enter a serious relationship. As far as she was aware, he hadn't dated anyone since his wife had died.

Lisbon looked up at the man in question and caught him studying her, his eyes intense and his gaze steady. It was quite disconcerting really, having a man such as Jane focused purely on you, but she quickly realised that if she was feeling confused over her emotions he was likely feeling the same, possibly even more so. His quiet observation of her was obviously part of how he was dealing with whatever this was, so she allowed him the opportunity and made her way over to the coffee to pour herself a cup.

* * *

"So," she said, leaning back against the tiny bunk, watching as Jane settled himself against the desk in the attic. They'd retreated up here with their drinks and a couple of snacks for breakfast. It was still early and the others weren't due in for at least half an hour so the two of them were using the opportunity to continue to catch up on everything that had happened over the last month, knowing that as soon as the others arrived they'd all be straight back to work. "How was Vegas and…" she waved her hand non-committedly, "everything?"

He took a sip of his tea before he answered, his eyes studying her carefully once more.

"Good, yeah. Managed to stay out of trouble in Vegas in the end. Had a couple of close calls though," he ignored her muttered 'I knew it' and continued. "Had a great time catching some of the sights, made a little bit of money. The usual."

"Oh yeah… so nothing exciting happened then?"

"Not really. Spent most of the time at the tables playing. I did spend a couple of nights sitting at one of the local casino bars… took in a couple of shows, you know. Some cocktail waitress kept trying to throw herself at me at one place though." He shrugged a little and Lisbon felt a wave of jealousy rush through her.

"Oh yeah? And did she fall for the patented Jane charm?" _Please say no, please say no._

"Meh, I wasn't interested to be honest. There was someone else on my mind. She backed off when I told her about the woman who was very special to me, that there was no way that she could replace her."

Lisbon's eyes flashed to the ring on his finger; the talisman he kept as a constant reminder of the love that he had lost. The memory of his wife was another thing that caused her to pause when contemplating a relationship with Jane; how could he ever consider her when his family's death was still so fresh in his mind? His gaze seemed to follow hers, and he looked up at her in realisation.

"No, not Angela. Yes, she and Charlotte will always hold a special place in my heart and be a major part of who I am, always. But it wasn't her I meant." She looked up at him in confusion; who could he mean if not his wife…oh.

And suddenly, as if he'd seen the exact moment she'd twigged onto his true meaning, he was in front of her in an almost exact copy of the position they'd been in in her office not 20 minutes before. This time though, there was no hint of a game, and Lisbon had the distinct feeling that the two of them were now definitely playing with fire.

It was almost cliché the way everything happened in slow motion then. Lisbon would have laughed if she hadn't been completely frozen by the look in his eyes. This was nothing like the look he'd given her in the office. This was something different, something deeper. They stood there, frozen as they looked at each other, and then, slowly, Jane's head bent towards hers. He gave her enough space and time to get out of the way, but Lisbon knew that he was risking a lot by getting this close to her, exposing his feelings like this. She certainly wasn't going to shoot him down, especially when, if she was truly honest with herself, she felt the same. She closed her eyes as his face drew near, and she could feel his hot breath on her lips. He didn't move to close the tiny distance between though and Lisbon could sense he was waiting, teasing her. Typical. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of giving in though; if he wanted to kiss her he damn well had to stand up and do it himself; she could happily play this game all day. Maybe.

Then, suddenly, as if he couldn't hold himself back his lips touched hers. Lightly at first, but then he deepened the kiss, one hand moving up to tangle in her hair and one resting on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She groaned as his tongue passed her lips, the sound almost obscene in his ears. She held his jacket at his waist, desperately trying to cling onto something, desperately trying to capture the feeling. Surely this was a dream; surely there was no way that Patrick Jane was kissing her in his little attic as if she meant the world to him. She moved her hands to cross behind his neck, pulling him closer and smiled under his lips when he moaned in pleasure. So much for giving themselves time to sort through their feelings.

He eventually pulled back, and took a small step back.

"I…uh… I really wanted to do that before I left. Chickened out at the last minute though really." He grinned almost shyly and she returned the gesture before replying.

"If you had, you probably would never have left. I think the trip did you good. You seem more… relaxed. I like it. Plus, you did kiss me that night, remember; you just passed it off as a 'thank you' and claimed it was something to remember you by."

She watched as he shrugged, smiling again, his focus drifting off a little as if her was recalling that night.

"Mmm, I remember. How could I not? I'm guessing it worked though, judging by the look on your face." He laughed at her blush. "Replay it constantly did we dear Lisbon?"

She coughed then, not really wanting to let him know that his kiss had had that big an impact on her. It didn't work, and his slight smile broke out into a grin. He stepped closer again, chuckling as he moved. He was close then, and Lisbon wondered if he was going to kiss her again. She was disappointed when he merely leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry Lisbon. It was never far from my mind either…" He leant back, but she didn't give him an opportunity to move away. Instead, she pulled on his jacket and planted a soft kiss on his lips before quickly releasing him.

She watched as he took a couple of steps back, although he seemed pretty reluctant to put any real distance between them. He paused before he returned to their previous topic of conversation.

"Yes, as wonderful as your company would have been for the last month, I'm pretty sure I needed the time away. It put a lot of things in perspective; helped me make a couple of big decisions. Plus, what is it they always say? 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder?' "

She didn't really know what to say to that. The man in front of her was such a muddle of contradictions. He wanted revenge but apparently wanted her. He had wanted to leave but she'd convinced him to stay.

An awkward silence suddenly settled over the two of them, Lisbon leaning back against the bunk and Jane standing a few steps away, hands once again in his pockets. It was as if they both knew what the next step was; but neither of them had any idea how to actually _get_ there. She was hardly an expert in relationships that lasted longer than a single night, and Jane hadn't dated anyone since his wife. Honestly, it was clear they both wanted this. Why was it so damn difficult to put it into words; they weren't teenagers after all.

She looked up at him then, determined to say something; anything.

"So do you…"

"I really want to…"

They both smiled as they realised they'd spoken at the same time. Jane motioned to her to continue what she was saying.

"Please, ladies first." _Ugh, that's right;_ _make me do the difficult bit. Bastard._

Lisbon sighed as she looked at him. She knew that the next couple of minutes would make or break them; they would face whatever it was they both wanted together or they would damage their friendship irreparably and nothing would ever be the same again. She wasn't sure she would be able to cope without Jane in her life; it had been hard enough to manage for the month he was away, but permanently? Because of her? She'd never recover, she knew that. But judging from both of their actions in the last hour, there was _definitely _something between them, and it was something that, as far as she could see, they both seem pretty keen to explore, Jane especially.

"So," she said, trying to settle the nerves in her stomach. Were they really going to go there? "Do you want to…uh… do you want to, you know, be together? Like… a couple? With me." Oh God, she was pathetic. She closed her eyes in embarrassment at the ridiculousness of her questions. She didn't open them until she felt his hands on her cheeks, slowly lifting her head. She could feel his breath on her lips, he must have been so close, but she still couldn't bear to face him.

"Open your eyes Teresa," he whispered, and she seemed to feel the words rather than hear them. She tentatively opened one eye, then the other and he was just _there; _watching her with hooded lids and an expression that she couldn't quite place.

"There is nothing I want more," he said, his tone sincere, "than to be in a relationship with you." He closed the gap then and kissed her again. Lisbon responded immediately, trying to put everything she felt for him into the embrace. He had to know what he meant to her.

She pulled back, realising that some things needed to be said before they ran full pelt into this.

"I don't want to rush this Jane. You're the most important person in my life and I don't want to ruin this. I don't think I'd recover if I lost your friendship."

He nodded in understanding, and she smiled as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug.

"I feel exactly the same, Lisbon. There is no one I trust more than you, and losing that relationship because we were stupid just isn't an option for me; we're not Grace and Rigsby. We can work this out."

"You know that means you'll have to follow some ground rules right?" she chuckled, knowing his affliction for strict guidelines.

"Meh, I'll find a way around them; I have a feeling you'll be more willing to find a…suitable arrangement in certain circumstances."

She practically snorted at that, and made to hit him on the arm. He feigned a look of pain, before lowering his head and planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"We'll work this out. We're good together, and, if I'm honest, it was about time I faced up to how I feel. Heaven knows the mocking I'd receive if I was caught mooning over you in the bullpen."

"I'm sure Cho and Rigsby would give you some slack. I mean, you're always _so considerate _when they're in a relationship…" Sarcasm laced her tone and she smirked at him.

"Actually I was talking about you. I'd never hear the end of it you wicked woman. Cho and Rigsby are nothing compared to you!"

She smiled, taking a tiny step back and placing her hands on her hips. "I could quite easily have second thoughts about this you know Jane…"

"Nah," he said almost arrogantly, pulling her closer to him again, his voice low in her ear, "you'd never cope without me. And I think, Teresa, you should probably start calling me Patrick."

He kissed her again then, and despite the teasing and the banter there was something about it that caused her heart to flutter. She pulled him closer, smiling under his lips, relishing in the feeling that for once she got to have what she wanted with the person she wanted the most. Nothing else mattered in that moment, not the case, not the team, not the ever-present threat of a certain serial killer; it was just her and Jane and nothing else.

And, as easy at that, Teresa Lisbon entered tentatively into a 'serious' relationship with Patrick Jane; handsome CBI consultant and general pain in her ass. _Well, _she thought as she wandered into her office 15 minutes later, lips red and full from his kisses, _this should be interesting._

She had to admit though, she was deliriously happy. She just hoped it would last.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **Jane is determined to leave CBI behind, but can Lisbon convince him to stay? Lisbon/ Jane Season 5 AU

**Disclaimer: **The Mentalist doesn't belong to me, I just enjoy playing in the sandbox I've been provided with!

**Rating: **T at the moment, but may rise to M later in the story.

**Spoilers: **Everything up to and including the most recent episodes. This will end up being a sort of Season 5 AU. I won't be following the episodes strictly by any means, but I will most likely take aspects from here and there and twist them to my own weird purposes!

**Author's notes: **Here we go, third chapter. Had massive writers block with this one. Throw in a hectic work schedule and feeling really run down and this one was a bit of a pain to write! Not totally happy with it, but it's up and hopefully the rest of the story will come a bit easier for me (I've got most of it planned out; I just got stuck on this one for some bizarre reason!)

Anyway, thanks to all who have reviewed, followed and favourited so far. Feel free to send me a note to let me know how I'm doing, it does my confidence (and writing!) no end of good to hear people's feedback, good or constructive :)

Hope you enjoy…

* * *

When Jane wandered down from the attic 20 minutes after she did, nothing in his demeanour revealed that anything significant had changed with the man who'd just returned from a month's suspension. He looked calm as he ambled through the corridor and once again she reflected on the fact that he _did_ look relaxed for the first time in years. She hoped that the change in their own relationship had had some effect on his manner as well.

They had both agreed that the development in their relationship should not be apparent to anyone, and that any interaction between them should be seen to be as it always was; slightly flirty, often confrontational, but nevertheless always professional. While Lisbon had no problem maintaining the necessary airs and graces within the office, she had a feeling that Jane would use his earliest opportunity to push the boundaries. He wouldn't be Jane if he didn't. She spared him a quick, knowing smile as he wandered by her office door, but he didn't enter, instead choosing to give her a little wave and continuing on to the bullpen.

Lisbon stood up to follow him, knowing that now he was downstairs they could make a start with the case. The others had arrived a few minutes before his emergence from the attic and she was anxious to get everyone on track as quickly as possible.

She watched as the first few minutes of Jane's arrival in the bullpen were taken up with hugs, handshakes and warm greetings from the others. They might not voice it often, but Jane was one of the team, part of their family and all of them had missed him in his month long absence.

She used the opportunity to have another sip of her freshly made coffee. In the course of the events that had taken place in the attic, her previous cup had gone cold by the time she'd returned to it from Jane's embrace. She leant back against Jane's rarely used desk and, after a couple of minutes, coughed slightly, watching as her team forgot their welcoming committee routine and returned to the matter at hand.

Lisbon was aware that Haffner's team would be joining them at some point later in the morning; there were a couple of people that they were picking up today for interview. Before they arrived she needed to get Jane up to speed so that he could start contributing to the case as soon as possible. She also needed to reinforce to him and the others that the scrutiny that they had already been under was likely to increase ten fold now that Jane had returned; Haffner would likely look for any excuse, no matter how petty, to go marching off to Wainwright with a complaint.

As Jane was under probation for the next three months, she really had to stress to him that he should be as by the book as he could. Wainwright would be watching him like a hawk and she was pretty sure she'd be unable to get Jane reinstated a second time.

They spent the next half an hour going through everything they had discovered so far on their case: victims, time and causes of death, major suspects and any leads that they had gathered. Lisbon watched as Jane sat himself carefully on his old, familiar couch and absorbed every piece of information. She handed him a file with all the pertinent information, and glared at him as he stroked her fingers lightly as he took it from her hands. His face betrayed nothing, the blankness of his expression almost as infuriating to Lisbon as the action itself.

"So," Jane said, looking up at the others as they wound up their explanation of the case. "These people who are being interviewed, what connections do they have to the victim?"

Van Pelt smiled as she answered.

"Nicola Carson is Callie Carson's sister. Wasn't around at the time of the murder, but she may be able to tell us about a possible connection between her sister and Lango. Other person of interest is the neighbour, who mentioned in her statement that she heard Callie shouting at 7:10 on the night of the murder. However, the coroner puts time of death at around 8pm, so we've asked her in to go over the details again."

"Hmm," Jane mumbled as he flicked through the file once more, before he seemed to spot something. It was something small they'd missed; a tiny detail about Carson's previous work history but as simple as that they had a new lead and Lisbon felt that it was like Jane had never been away. Which was good, because their interactions as a couple and as a team needed to be in sync so as not to raise Haffner's ire when the other senior agent arrived. She realised that due to all of the different distractions that morning she hadn't told Jane of their new level of supervision, so she made a point of leaving Cho in charge of tracking down the new lead and motioned for Jane to follow her into her office.

She watched as he raised an amused eyebrow at her, and she could tell that he was clearly wondering if she was unable to stand by her own rule and was therefore planning jump him as soon as the office door closed. She raised an eyebrow in return and smirked, whispering a low "not going to happen Jane," as he passed her. The chuckle he emitted showed that he was mistaken about her intent.

Lisbon took a seat behind her desk, more as a means to keep her distance from him rather than the formality of their impromptu meeting. She watched, however, as Jane ignored his usual positions of the couch and the chair opposite and instead chose to perch himself on the corner of the desk. Damn him. She rolled her eyes at him and leant back in her chair, and gazed at the man. Jane's hair was still slightly rumpled from their actions in the attic, but instead of making him look scruffy, Lisbon was annoyed to notice that it made him even more handsome, as if the years had dropped off him.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before she began, informing him of the changes that were being implemented as a result of his return to the CBI. Lisbon watched as he took in all the information about Haffner, and almost laughed at the look of disgust at the mention of the man's name; they really hadn't parted on good terms, and it was apparent that Jane was just as enthusiastic about Haffner's presence as the rest of them were.

"It means you'll have to behave as soon as they arrive Jane," she said, leaning back in her chair once more, "you know, follow the rules for once."

Jane sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes before he answered.

"Honestly, you're all about the rules today aren't you Teresa?" He mimicked her voice good naturedly, a sly smile on his face as he counted off items from an imaginary list. "No touching at work. No making out on the couch. No cuddling in front of the team. No causing trouble with other CBI teams even though their leader is a tool. You're just no fun woman."

She leant over to hit him, and he used the opportunity to pull her close and plant a quick kiss on her lips.

"Jane…" she growled, glaring at him slightly, before looking around to see if anyone had seen. He'd been sensible enough to pull the door to as he'd entered, so there hadn't been any witnesses, but still, it was the principle of the thing. Less than a couple of hours into the relationship and he was already flouting the rules that they'd set out. It shouldn't have surprised her if she was honest; it was Jane through and through.

As if to prove her theory, he shrugged at her, grinning again before speaking.

"What can I say; rules have never been my strong suit."

Jane's almost casual approach to the whole thing was frustrating, as if he didn't realise what was at stake if he screwed up. Alternatively, she thought, he _did_ know what was at stake and just wanted to see how far he could push everyone. He'd been away for a month after all, he had a lot of meddling to catch up with.

She gave him a frustrated look, and he seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation. He was clearly remembering all that she'd given up to get him back here, suspension or not, and his face softened as he spoke.

"I can't guarantee anything Lisbon, but I'll certainly try to keep the mischief to a minimum. Obviously, you'll have to make it worth my while…" he winked slyly at her, and he moved back quickly as she leant over to hit his leg.

"You wish!" she muttered, before looking up at him. "Now go and see if there's anything else you can get from the file; it'd be nice to surprise Haffner when he arrives."

Jane looked as if he was going to make another smartass comment, but appeared to decide against it, instead choosing to nod and make his way back to the familiar couch. Lisbon leant back in her chair and released a heavy breath. She had a feeling that this whole relationship thing was going to be more difficult than either of them had thought. She really wanted nothing more than to carry on their activities from the attic, case or no. Lisbon figured if she could just get through the day without a serious incident then she'd be ok. She wasn't holding her breath. She was pretty sure there'd be fireworks aplenty when Haffner eventually turned up.

* * *

The first meeting between Jane and Haffner had gone about as well as could be expected, Lisbon mused later as she worked on the ever increasing pile of paperwork. She was surprised that Haffner lasted a full 10 minutes before he had slammed Jane against the wall, berating him over his lack of respect for him or his team. Jane had begun pressing Ray's button's as soon as he'd walked into the bullpen, despite her earlier warning. Yes, she thought, Jane had pushed too far too quickly, but it was increasingly apparent that Haffner's impartiality in relation to her team, and Jane especially, was definitely in question.

She was pondering whether to have words with Jane in public or private when she heard a faint knock on the door of her office. She didn't need to look up to know it wasn't Jane, seeing as he rarely sought permission before he entered her office. Looking up expecting to find Cho or one of the others, she was surprised to see Wainwright loitering in the doorway. She would have chuckled at the notion that Luther looked as if he was stood outside the principal's office, but seeing as he was her boss and the only thing standing between Jane and a permanent dismissal from the CBI, she forced herself to smile and invited him in. She knew, judging from the expression on his face, that she wasn't likely to enjoy the conversation that they were about to have.

"Sir, what can I do for you?"

Wainwright sat down in the chair opposite her desk, and Lisbon shifted a couple of piles of paperwork out of the way so that she had a clear sight of him. Luther seemed almost lost in thought, and he regarded her carefully before he spoke.

"I wanted to talk about the…incident…earlier between Jane and Agent Haffner."

Lisbon nodded, knowing full well that it would only have been a matter of time before this particular meeting took place. In fact, she was surprised that Wainwright hadn't arrived within 5 minutes of the incident itself the way that Haffner had stormed off in the direction of their boss' office once he'd released his choke hold on Jane.

"Yes sir, I understand. I must apologise for the action that Jane took. I had no idea…"

Wainwright shook his head, and raised a hand to calm her. Despite this youthfulness, the gesture was full of authority and Lisbon was immediately silent.

"Don't worry Lisbon, you know as well as I do that Patrick Jane will do what he likes a majority of the time, regardless of any warnings he may or may not have been given. Unfortunately, an incident such as this on the first day back doesn't exactly fill me with much optimism about him being able to see through his 3 month probation." Lisbon watched as her boss ran a hand through his short hair, the effect not quite the same as when Jane did it; it made him look like a schoolboy. The warning, however, was evident, despite the subtly with which Luther had broached the subject. He had rehired Jane based on her willingness to vouch for him, and really, her fate depended on Jane as much as his own did. She hadn't told _Jane_ that of course; she never felt she should burden him with anything more than she should.

"I'll speak to him again sir, and reinforce the requirements and expectations. Obviously, Jane isn't quite used to playing nicely with others. However," she said, hoping to discuss Haffner's attitude, "I know that Jane was in the wrong, but I can't help but be slightly concerned about Haffner's take on all this. I know he's here to monitor Jane's return, but I have to admit that I feel that his impartiality is a doubt."

Wainwright said nothing for a moment, instead choosing to fold his arms as he sat in the chair and raise a quizzical eyebrow.

"Really?" he eventually asked, and Lisbon felt like she was being analysed. "What gives you that impression Agent Lisbon?"

She duly explained what had happened during the incident between the two men in more detail; how Jane and Haffner had immediately seemed hostile towards the other, how Haffner had subtly implied that Jane would soon be out of a job, how Jane had all but warned the man that _Haffner_ would be the one fired if he screwed with Lisbon or the others in the team.

What Lisbon _didn't_ inform Wainwright of was the fact that Jane hadn't been particularly hostile towards Haffner until he had threatened _her_ job under his breath. He'd clearly meant for just Jane and herself to hear the quiet threat, and it had been all Haffner had needed to push Jane just that little bit too far. It seemed that Jane was quite willing to take the flak for most of the incidents and accidents that occurred in the CBI with little regard to his own employment, but as soon as Haffner had mentioned her in an unfavourable light, Jane had seemed to have lost it. On reflection, it didn't really surprise her given the developments in their personal relationship. It seemed that she brought out his protective streak now more than ever. She'd have to have words with him about that. She kind of liked the fact that he wanted to defend her honour in some way, but really, Jane's actions had all but stopped short of being reminiscent of a caveman dragging off his mate.

She was snapped out of her reverie by Luther's voice asking her a question. She shook her head and looked at her boss, an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry sir, I didn't catch that."

"I asked whether you thought that it would be better if Jane's leave of absence was extended until the end of this case. Then perhaps another senior agent, or even myself, could supervise Jane's return to the unit."

Lisbon frowned at the use of 'leave of absence'. It hadn't been that, it had been a suspension, and one that had gone on too long already. She shook her head.

"No sir. As I said, I'll speak with Jane again and reinforce how important it is to be cooperative with other agents. I don't foresee any further issues, as long as Agent Haffner is willing to overlook the incident from earlier today and remain impartial in his conduct." She really wanted to put across to Wainwright that not all of the blame fell on Jane, the provocation went both ways and her boss needed to know that. Wainwright didn't say anything in reply straight away, merely stood, smoothed out his jacket and headed towards her office door.

"I'll take everything you've said into consideration Agent Lisbon. But I will warn you, any further incidents from Jane, or any of your team, in the course of this case will result in his immediate dismissal and your suspension. Do I make myself clear?"

Lisbon stood up as he left, and nodded determinedly. "Yes sir, I understand."

Wainwright left and she watched him go, knowing full well that her career was in Jane's hands now more than ever. She wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing.

* * *

Lisbon sat at her desk, finishing the last pieces of paperwork for the day. While they had managed to eliminate a couple of potential suspects today, it was still apparent that there was more to this case than met the eye. It was frustrating to say the least, but she knew that Jane was likely to come up with some scheme or other relatively quickly, so she held up some vague hope that the case would be tied up in the very near future. She hoped Jane informed her of any plan he came up with though, she needed to ensure, for both their sakes, that it was carried out with the full backing of everyone on the team. She didn't even want to contemplate the consequences again if it all went wrong.

She leant her head against the back of her chair, taking a couple of moments to relax before starting the next pile of paperwork. It was late at night now; Haffner and his team, as well as the guys had all gone home hours before, preparing themselves for another round of interviews the next morning. She'd flicked the radio onto a jazz station earlier, in a bid to stop the complete boredom of the silence that surrounded her after everyone had gone home. It wasn't something she indulged in when people were around; it was her own private thing. She listened to the soft sounds of the saxophone coming from the radio, and closed her eyes briefly to take in the relaxing melody.

Her neck and shoulders felt tense and sore from where she'd been hunched over writing and signing paper after paper, and she realised she hadn't moved from her desk in quite a while. She was hungry and she needed caffeine; she was determined to finish this paperwork before heading home. She'd had to write up an official report on the incident between Jane and Haffner that morning, as well as signing forms in relation to their witness statements and interview records. The work wasn't difficult but it was time-consuming, and Lisbon knew that one 'i' not dotted or a 't' left uncrossed could lead to evidence potentially becoming inadmissible in court. And that would be a disaster for her career whichever way she looked at it.

She stood up, determined to grab a quick cup of coffee and finish the reports within the hour. However, she stopped short when she saw that Jane was crashed out on the couch in the bullpen, his long legs crossed over at the ankle as he lay back. She could tell he wasn't sleeping, but his eyes were closed as if he were in deep contemplation of something. He'd kept himself out of the way for the rest of the morning after his run in with Haffner; Lisbon presumed it was because of his wounded pride more than anything. Jane liked to play the fool more often than not, but when he was actually confronted about it he often realised that it wasn't a particularly clever thing to do.

He'd spent the rest of the afternoon out with Cho and Rigsby checking out a couple of leads from the file that they hadn't picked up until Jane had scanned through them. They hadn't amounted to anything, but Lisbon was pleased to hear from Cho that Jane had kept everything above board and seemed to be trying to stay out of trouble. She briefly wondered how long it would last, quickly pushing the thought aside. The less she thought about the prospect of one or other of them being fired the better.

She glanced over again and took in his prone form, and realised that she hadn't really spoken to him since she'd called him into her office earlier. She'd held off talking to him about Haffner, especially as the man himself had been intent on hanging around the bullpen for a longer period than was actually necessary after Wainwright had appeared. It was almost as if Haffner was determined to see how far he could push her and the others, and she was proud of her team for not rising to the bait.

She rubbed the back of her neck again, took one last look at Jane and wandered through to the break room. She knew that tomorrow was going to be interesting. They'd got two viable leads late this afternoon, and the two teams would be mixing to see if they could track down any pertinent information. It wasn't Cho and the others she was concerned about really, they knew how to handle themselves after all. It was Jane that Lisbon was worried about. Haffner had begrudgingly requested Jane to accompany him the following day so that he could keep an eye on the consultant and his investigative technique. Lisbon was sure that something was bound to happen while the men were investigating the leads; the incident earlier that morning had been a clear indication that there was no way that Jane and Haffner could have any kind of sensible working relationship. She made a note to herself to send one of the others with them as backup; Jane might not listen to Haffner, but she hoped that the presence of one of their own team might keep him more grounded like it had earlier.

Lisbon leant against the counter as she watched the coffee percolate, and she winced as her neck continued to ache. She wondered briefly if she had any ibuprofen in her desk. She was deep in contemplation about her potential access to painkillers when she felt warms arms wrap around her. She gasped as she felt his soft kiss on the side of her neck. She bit back a moan at the unexpected touch, before she realised where the two of them were.

"Jane!" she hissed with warning, twisting out of his arms to face him. "What the hell are you doing?"

She was faced with his best innocent grin. She wanted to smack the smug look off his face; Haffner and everyone on the team might have gone home but that didn't mean that there couldn't be potential witnesses to his public display. The CBI employed cleaners and security like any other major company, and gossip spread like wildfire. He was playing a dangerous game and she wanted to call him out on it. She glared at him, hands on her hips, letting him know that now _really_ wasn't the best time to be messing around.

He had the grace to look a little bit guilty, but not much. He shrugged a little and stuck his hands in his jacket pockets. Lisbon wondered if it was because he didn't trust himself to keep his hands off her. She briefly contemplated how much amusement she would get if she could tease him just a little bit; she owed him for his actions towards her in the office this morning after all. She decided against it then, realising that it would be a bit hypocritical if she could touch him but he couldn't do the same. And, she figured, Jane would probably find a way of turning the situation on its head until he held the advantage; he usually did and the fact that they were in a relationship certainly wouldn't stop him now.

"Sorry Teresa, I've just wanted to do that all day," he said as he smiled, still within a couple of feet from her. She could feel a slight blush rise up her cheeks and she cursed herself silently. How did he have such an effect on her?

"Yes, well, you've made your complete disregard for the rules quite apparent today thank you very much." She tried to sound stern, but failed miserably as Jane fixed her with a steady gaze and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. She subconsciously reached up to rub her neck again, the ache dull but constant. She _really_ needed those painkillers. Jane's gaze seemed to change then, as if realising that she was in pain. Thankfully, he didn't say anything, just rested a quick hand on her arm as an apology for his actions and moved past her to start making himself a cup of tea.

They stood in comfortable silence, side by side, almost touching but not quite as they carried on making their own drinks. She handed him the milk when his tea had steeped for long enough, he handed her the sugar she craved with her caffeine. They knew each other so well that they didn't need to exchange a word, which was probably a good thing; she wasn't entirely sure what she'd say if he started a conversation. The tension was back in the air and Lisbon found she didn't know what to do. They were together, they'd established that fact that very morning, but she couldn't well jump him in the middle of the break room. Well, she could, and she was pretty sure that Jane would be delighted at that turn of events, but they really couldn't risk anyone finding out. They'd just have to deal with it, like the sensible adults that they were. She could do that. Jane on the other hand…

Drinks made, she headed back to her office, unsurprised when Jane silently followed her. He closed the door behind them as they walked through, and Lisbon watched as he closed the blinds as well. She raised an eyebrow at him in question as she placed her coffee next to the next stack of paper, and he shrugged, a slight smile on his face.

"Just thought we could do with a little privacy. Plus, I want to have a nap and the lights outside are too bright." He clearly intended to stay with her until she'd finished the work in front of her.

She held back the obvious reply that there was no one around and that there were barely any lights on in the bullpen, instead choosing to turn her attention back to the paper spread over her desk. She risked a quick glance up at Jane after a couple of minutes, and was surprised to see him sat up watching her intently, cup of tea hovering close to his lips. Clearly his call for a nap was a ruse to ensure that he was truly alone with her. He smiled at her, and Lisbon frowned.

"What is it?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her innocently, a flicker of mischief in his eyes.

"You keep staring at me… it's distracting."

"Well, it's hard not to stare at a beautiful woman such as yourself Teresa. If anything's distracting it's you!"

She laughed then and rolled her eyes. Honestly, he really did lay it on thick sometimes.

"I bet you say that to all the ladies Jane."

"Patrick. And no, only the special ones."

She didn't acknowledge the prompt to use his first name, which would definitely be a sign she was heading into dangerous territory.

"Oh really? Well, I'm honoured that you deem me special Jane, it's about time you recognised that about me."

It was his turn to laugh and she quickly realised that the paperwork was likely to be forgotten for a while. Damn Jane and his constant distraction. Her neck suddenly twinged and she sucked in a short breath at the pain.

Jane stopped laughing and looked at her again, and she watched as he seemed to come to a decision. He placed his now empty tea cup on the side table and stood up, moving across the room to stand behind her. She frowned as she felt him place his hands on her shoulders.

"Jane? What are you doing?" She tried to turn her neck to face him, but her neck flashed with pain as she did so, so she turned back round.

"Shh, let me sort this out for you." His voice was low and quiet, and she felt herself relax immediately. His hands were warm over the cotton of her shirt, and she could feel his thumbs rest at the base of her neck. Her head fell slightly forward as he applied more pressure to her neck and shoulders; it had been a long time since someone had done this for her, and she'd forgotten how good it felt.

She could feel his thumbs dig into the knots in her muscles and she sucked in another breath as he hit the one that had been giving her particular trouble that night. He muttered a soft 'sorry', before Lisbon felt his soft lips kiss the painful area through her top. God, what was the man doing to her? If she wasn't careful she'd be sweeping all the stuff off her desk and having her wicked way with him. She felt herself blush then, and hoped that Jane didn't pick up on the change in her breathing and the rapid beat of her pulse. Which, of course, he did within about 5 seconds. Jackass.

His voice was low and husky in her ear, his fingers still working over her shoulders and neck.

"Hmmm, having naughty thoughts are we Teresa? Please, feel free to indulge me. Spare no details; I want to know everything…"

She moaned a little then, and then chuckled slightly, determined to keep him from getting the better of her.

"In your dreams Patrick." She noticed the slip with his name straight away. Shit.

"Oh, I certainly hope so," he replied, his voice in her ear, and she shuddered as he softly bit her earlobe before pulling back to focus solely on the neck-rub he was giving her. She moaned again at the feel of his hands on her neck and the pain she had felt was all but gone, replaced by pure want for this man. The man, she happily reminded herself, that was now officially hers.

Lisbon realised she needed to say something, anything to distract her from just jumping him. They were still in the office after all.

"How'd you know how to do this so well?" she asked, trying to bite back a moan and failing as his thumbs dug into the back of her neck once more. She leant forward on her office chair again and closed her eyes, just focusing on the sensation of his hands on her.

Jane was unusually quiet for a moment, and Lisbon realised that his hands had frozen, as if his mind was somewhere else. She soon found out where his mind had drifted off to when he next spoke. His voice was hushed and Lisbon struggled to hear him.

"Angela used to get a sore neck sometimes when she played the piano for too long," he admitted, his hands rubbing slow circles on her shoulders, no longer giving comfort but instead, she realised, the movements were almost distracted. "She took up being a teacher when I was away. It gave her something to do when I was performing and Charlotte was at school. I used to come home and do this for her whenever it got bad, she said it used to help her."

Lisbon wasn't sure what to say. He rarely mentioned his family and the fact that he had revealed something so intimate that used to occur between himself and his wife made her feel almost guilty. Yes, they'd briefly discussed Angela and Charlotte's memories in the attic that morning, but she hadn't been prepared to broach the subject twice in such a short space of time. It was more information than he'd shared in the last few years and it was really quite overwhelming. The change in atmosphere was dramatic. Gone was the flirty tension, replaced by an almost uncomfortable silence as the spectres of Jane's wife and child hung over them in the quiet of the office.

She crossed her right hand over her shoulder, letting it rest on his left and giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance. The movement seemed to jolt Jane from his thoughts. Lisbon got the feeling that he'd sensed her unease, and her suspicions were proved correct when she felt his hands squeeze her shoulders gently before he took a small step back, breaking the contact.

She stood slowly, and turned to face him, entirely unsure of what she saw when she did. She was relieved, however, to note that he seemed to have compartmentalised his feelings as efficiently as ever and a small smile was gracing his lips. Lisbon was tempted to kiss him, but she realised that doing so would cause no end of mocking from the man before her in regard to her inability to follow her own rules. Although, to be fair, she thought to herself, she'd done quite well to not react to the impromptu massage. A few moans aside obviously. But they didn't count.

She looked briefly at the paperwork at her desk, staring at it in contemplation.

"You know, I'm all sure this can probably wait until the morning," Jane remarked, following her gaze and waving a hand at the scattered piles of paper.

"Yeah, they probably can. I think I need some sleep too, I've got a feeling tomorrow will be even more eventful than today." She raised an eyebrow at him, clearly telling him that she expected more trouble between him and Haffner and that he needed to be careful. Jane, on the other hand, just waved a hand vaguely and answered non-committedly.

"Meh, we'll just have to see what happens."

Lisbon nodded and moved to gather her bag and keys. She watched as Jane picked up her coffee mug as well as his cup and saucer and quickly left the room to put them away. He was waiting for her outside her office as she quietly closed the door and locked up. She smiled up at him.

"Walk me to my car?" she asked, nodding towards the elevator.

"Of course, your wish is my command."

It seemed strange, Lisbon thought as they made their way to the parking lot, that despite them now being in an official relationship, nothing felt that much different between them. Yes, there were the kisses and the charged neck rubs and the knowing glances, but the little things like the enjoyment of each other's company and the relaxed banter were still the same. She was happy about that most of all, because she knew that while they had added another element to their relationship, the friendship they'd held onto for so long was still there.

They were walking side by side as they headed out of the building, and after bidding a cheery 'goodnight' to the late night security guard, they walked out of the door. Lisbon could feel Jane's hand on the small of her back as they walked and she took comfort in the gesture. They stopped by the side of her SUV, and she could see Jane's Citroen parked a couple of spots away. Lisbon wondered briefly if he was going to go home too or whether he'd head back up to the attic. She hoped it was the former; she didn't like the idea of him cooped up in that small room by himself without a comfortable bed to rest on.

She looked around the otherwise empty lot and, convinced that there really was no one around and feeling a little daring, she reached up to kiss him quickly on the lips. The gesture ended as quickly as it had begun, but it seemed that Jane was not entirely satisfied. Instead, he took her arms and lent down to kiss her again, and within moments Lisbon realised that Jane had all put pinned her to the side of her car. The kisses he gave her were deep and loving, as if he never wanted to let her go. She _knew_ it had been a bad idea to kiss him, but really, she'd been so good not to do it all day she just couldn't hold herself back anymore. She could feel the weight of his body against hers, and she tucked her arms under his jacket and round his waist, pulling him closer, as he put one of his hands in her hair to do the same. Oh yeah, this was a really _really_ bad idea. They both seemed to realise where they were at the same time, and they reluctantly parted, Jane giving her a light peck on the lips before he moved away slightly. She kept her arms around him and he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck.

"I'll see you tomorrow Teresa," he murmured, his voice quiet in her ears as he kissed her throat.

"Yeah, tomorrow. Goodnight Patrick." It took her a couple of seconds to relinquish her hold on him, as if she thought he might turn tail and run if she let him go. He didn't though, and he leant down once more and kissed her deeply again before he opened the door for her to get in. It seemed that for once, he was going to be the sensible one.

She reluctantly entered her car and he reached over and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek.

"Goodnight Teresa," he said quietly, before shutting the car door. Lisbon realised her hands were trembling slightly as she moved to put the key in the ignition, but after a couple of deep breaths she managed to start the car. She glanced over to where Jane was now leaning against his own car, waving slightly as she began to leave the parking lot. She returned the gesture and sighed happily as she made her way home for the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes: **Major apologies for the delay in this one. I blame it on a combination of writers block, real life work issues and the fact that my laptop is slowly dying so I sometimes have to go 3/4 days without access to a computer when it's being temperamental!  
A massive thank you to everyone who has read/ reviewed/ favourited and followed so far. Your comments mean so much to me and they always make my day, no matter how long or short they are!

Hope you enjoy this next chapter, and don't hesitate to let me know what you think :)

* * *

After the initial incident between Haffner and Jane, tensions appeared to ease between the men and their respective teams and the investigation carried on with aplomb. Lisbon was relieved at the break in tension, and secretly believed that Wainwright had taken her words about Haffner's impartiality into consideration, maybe even going as far as to say her boss had had a quiet word with the other senior agent. Jane, on the other hand, still seemed intent on causing as much havoc as possible, but Lisbon found that he did seem to hold himself back when she glared at him or had a quiet word with him in her office.

It seemed bizarre, but it seemed that she and Jane had spent less time together since the start of their relationship than they had before his departure to Vegas. It was a confusing situation from her point of view; so intent were they to not reveal the change in circumstances that it seemed that the two of them were too cautious around each other, which immediately raised suspicions with the rest of the team. She had definitely seen Cho raise his eyebrow slightly as she and Jane had walked past each other without saying a word, whereas normally they may have traded an insult or engaged in a bit of witty repartee. It was something she needed to talk to Jane about, but with Haffner's constant hovering, the opportunity never really arose.

A few days had passed and the case appeared to be coming to a head. Jane had some suspicions about the neighbour, as well as the officer who had found the bodies, so they were currently pursuing that particular line of enquiry. Her own team had been working hard with Haffner's and it seemed that, all in all, the two parties had been able to work together successfully. Jane had managed to keep himself in check for a majority of the time, but Lisbon figured that was mainly down to the fact that one of their own acted as a chaperone whenever he left the building with Haffner or one of his men.

Lisbon, however, had been called into Wainwright's office earlier that morning, and had been informed that she, Haffner, Wainwright and Bertram were going to have what was being coined as a 'liaison' meeting. Lisbon knew, however, that the meeting was due to be about Jane and his first few days back on the job. Baring the incident with Haffner, and a couple of _minor _incidents that had thankfully flown under the other team leaders radar, Jane had been reasonably well behaved, and there was nothing to indicate to Lisbon that the meeting was nothing more than a means to bore her half to death before the end of the afternoon. Still, her presence was required, and she briefly wondered whether she needed to write up any formal documentation on Jane's reappearance in the SCU. She sat quietly in her office, cup of coffee nearby, as she contemplated what she could put in the file about the consultant to help sum up his contribution to the team:

Name:_ Patrick Jane_

Official occupation:_ Pain in the ass_

Attitude towards work:_ To do as little as possible while taking all the glory_

Cons to employment:_ Lies, cheats, schemes, pisses off important people_

Pros to employment:_ Smart, closes cases, works hard when required, incredibly handsome, excellent kisser, provider of amazing massages..._

Huh, it seemed her brain had got itself a little distracted. Lisbon let out a little chuckle, God, she needed to get a grip of herself; she was letting herself slip.

"Something funny?"

The man himself had appeared, casually leaning against the doorframe of her office. She looked up, a smile on her face, and was pleased to see that he returned the gesture. She didn't really need the distraction right now, but she hadn't really seen him since that morning in the elevator, so his company was welcome; for the meantime at least.

"Nah, just planning something in my head. You wouldn't get it." He frowned at her, the look of confusion on his face almost as funny as her innermost thoughts. He moved to take a place on the couch, and she noticed that he held a file in his hand.

"Something for me?" she asked, trying to peek at the contents.

Jane shook his head, his blond curls reflecting the harsh light of her office.

"Nope. Just needed this as an excuse to wander in here and see you." He opened up the file to show her, revealing little but the official documents she'd given to him days ago. She knew he didn't need them any more, his memory was good enough that he only ever needed to read through something a couple of times before he'd memorised it. She looked at him, and it was her turn to be confused.

"Why on earth do you need an excuse to come in here? You've never needed one in the past!" Her voice was laced with amusement, and he smiled brightly in return.

"Well, my dear, we've never had Special Agent Haffner following us around like a lost puppy. At least when he comes back from interviews and finds me lying on the couch I can tell him that I've been conducting important research and consulting my team leader."

She let out a bark of actual laughter at that, and waved her fingers in imaginary air quotes.

"Conducting research and consulting the team leader? More like napping then having a gossip more like! Haffner will see through you in a heartbeat."

Jane shrugged and smirked cheekily at her.

"It'll be worth a try. I miss the couch in here, I don't get to see it as often as I'd like nowadays. It seems that the powers that be are preventing me from spending any time with my couch, and it's making me grumpy." He looked at her seriously then, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Clearly he wasn't referring to the couch, but the couch's owner. Well, she missed him too, but they couldn't do anything at work, and they'd been heading home later and later in the evenings in a bid to finally close this case. Which was the main reason why they hadn't actually spent much time together, much to their mutual annoyance.

She didn't say anything in reply, just nodded softly and returned her focus to the work in front of her. She heard him shift slightly and she could tell, without looking up, that he'd laid himself down across her couch. The silence was a comfortable one between the pair as Lisbon continued her paperwork and Jane pretended to analyse the files.

XxXxX

"Let's go on a date."

She didn't even bother to look up as she answered him, instead choosing to focus on the paperwork still in front of her. Her tone was almost one of boredom, a hint of sarcasm lacing her words of reply.

"Yeah ok Jane, let me just abandon this paperwork that's due in 20 minutes and go and explain to Wainwright and Bertram why I can't make the liaison meeting this afternoon. The meeting I am required to attend, if you recall, because you managed to piss of Haffner within 10 minutes of seeing him again. It'll be fine though, I'm sure it'll go down well and they'll give us both their full blessing."

She heard him sigh, and she glanced up, taking in his position on her office couch. His jacket was off again and his hands were behind his head. He'd been in the same position for the last half an hour, quite content to just lounge around while she worked her way through the masses of paperwork before her. He'd given up all pretence of working about an hour ago, when Haffner had popped his head around the door to say that he was just passing through before heading out for another round of interviews.

Jane's eyes, which had been closed, now gazed at her in amusement. He rolled his eyes at her in mock-frustration as he replied.

"I didn't mean _right_ this instant Teresa. I meant after the case. Obviously."

She put her pen down, and leant back in her chair, watching him.

"Jane…"

"Patrick."

"Fine, _Patrick_," she emphasised, the name still feeling strange on her tongue, "we're already together, you don't have to take me out anywhere. Honest."

She looked at him and saw him smiling at her. She returned the gesture, and watched as he shrugged.

"I know. I just want to. I haven't been on a date since, well, since Kristina, and we all know how much of a disaster that was."

She could see something in his eyes then, a strange sort of hope. Really, what _had_ she got herself into by starting a relationship with this man? She sighed, and realised that actually, she'd quite like to go on a date with Jane. He was, for all intents and purposes, her boyfriend now (as silly as it sounded); why couldn't she enjoy his company outside of work? It had taken a hell of a lot for the two of them to even get this far, and damned if she wasn't feeling that she should be taking full advantage of finally having a chance to be with him.

"And what do you propose we do for this date?" she paused and rolled her eyes as he sat up suddenly and beamed at her, enthusiasm evident in his features, "Not that I'm saying yes. I'm just intrigued."

She was not going to give him the satisfaction of thinking he had the upper hand in their relationship. Even if he probably did at the moment. He seemed to pause, and rubbed his chin as if deep in thought.

"Well," he said eventually, looking up at her with a smirk on his face, "I'm not entirely sure I want to reveal that to you at this particular moment in time Teresa."

She was both confused and frustrated. She leant back in her chair and watching him warily, trying to decide if he was up to something. Well, if he was up to something more dangerous or stupid than usual.

"And why is that?"

"Because I want to surprise you."

"I don't like surprises."

It was his turn to roll his eyes then and Lisbon was tempted to laugh at the expression on his face. Really, he was pretty easy to wind up when you knew him well enough.

"Don't lie Teresa, I know you like surprises. You just don't like surprises from me. Apart from ponies. And strawberries. And massages." He ticked off the items on his fingers and she threw a stapler at him gently in retaliation. He caught it in his hands and placed it next to his empty tea cup, giving her a look that said 'nice try, why not try the hole punch next.' Lisbon thought he should be careful what he wished for.

"Did you ever think that the reason I don't like surprises from you is because they're normally complaints, lawsuits or suspension letters?"

Lisbon watched as he sat back slightly and crossed his legs, taking his time to regard her slightly frustrated manner before he replied. He shrugged a little as he spoke.

"Meh, you love it really," he said, then laughed at her raised eyebrow. "Ok, maybe you don't love it, but you have to admit, you do like some of the surprises I bestow upon you my dear Teresa. The aforementioned pony for example. And, well, this morning was a pretty good indicator that you don't mind being surprised once in a while."

He was grinning at her slyly, and Lisbon felt the blush rise up her cheeks. She hated when her body reacted to his words like that because inevitably it would give him the impression that she would just do whatever he said. Which she wouldn't, and he knew that, but still. It was the principle of the thing. She'd already told herself numerous times that being in a relationship with Patrick Jane would not result in her reverting back to an awkward, giggly teenager. Well, most of the time at least.

She didn't dignify his reasoning with a response, _especially_ if he was going to bring up what had occurred earlier on their way up in the elevator that morning. Because that was certainly dangerous territory and she really needed to be on the ball for her meeting with Wainwright and the others. Lisbon looked up at him, waved her hand dismissively and turned back to the mess of work on her desk.

"So," she heard him say, but her focus remained on the piece of paper in front of her, "date after the case is done? Yes?"

"Hmm, I'll have to think about it." She didn't look up, and her tone was bored again, although there was a hint of mischief within it.

"_Teresa_," he was practically growling at her, and she realised that playing games like this with him probably wasn't a good idea. He'd only seek revenge at some point and he was a lot better at dishing _that_ out than she was. Lisbon decided to play fair and stop teasing him.

"Yes, ok, fine. We'll go out on a date when the case is done. I'll even let you organise everything. Just, please, let me finish this paperwork in peace. It's important and I don't want to screw it up."

She glanced up at him then from her desk, and she could see that he was grinning again. He nodded once and lay back down on the couch, seemingly content with her positive answer to the question of a date. Lisbon sighed. Hopefully her agreement to go out with Jane would keep him quiet until _after_ she had finished her file for Wainwright and the others. She was keeping her fingers crossed that that was the case.

* * *

The so called 'liaison' meeting lived up to all of Lisbon's low expectations. So far, in the hour that she'd been sat in Bertram's office, she'd said about 30 words, most of which had been some variation of 'good afternoon' towards the men in the room. Normally, she wasn't intimidated by a large male presence in her day to day working life; being a woman in what was still, unfortunately, a male dominated career, meant that these kinds of situations were a regular occurrence.

What she _wasn't_ used to was being unable to really voice an opinion. It seemed that her presence in the meeting was merely to acknowledge that someone was actually Jane's immediate boss, but really the other three occupants of the room had spent the last 30 minutes lamenting the fact that Jane was still employed and causing a certain degree of mayhem.

Her frustration with the situation must have been evident on her face, because, suddenly, Wainwright paused in his current rant to look at her.

"Agent Lisbon," he started, turning his soft eyes at her, "I know this must seem incredibly boring to you, but we need to get everyone up to speed on Jane's actions. He simply cannot be allowed to continue in the manner to which he is accustomed. He's proving to be too much of a liability, he needs to curb his... impulses, and soon, or he risks being let go."

The three other men were currently going over the data she had provided them at the beginning of the meeting. She'd put together a short file showing the closure rate with and without Jane's presence in the SCU. While her team's rate was still the best in the Bureau without the consultant around, the evidence clearly showed that the number of cases they successfully closed grew exponentially when Jane was around to assist. The only issue was his behaviour in and around the investigation, but Lisbon figured she had a good bargaining chip over him… there were plenty of things she could withhold from him now if he pushed the boundaries too far. She resisted the temptation to laugh, and looked around, settling her eyes on Bertram, Haffner and Wainwright.

The three men were almost completely different. Bertram; politically motivated, but nonetheless willing to listen to and put up with Jane's crap. Well, as long as there was a decent news story available for Brenda to deal with anyway. She never really knew where she stood with the Director. Sometimes he could be incredibly forgiving and others totally ruthless. For the most part though, he seemed to be on her side. He'd fought to have Jane reinstated after all, although she knew that that would mainly down to all the decent PR Jane managed to provide on occasion rather than any great love for the consultant.

Her gaze fell on Wainwright next; young, ambitious and, seemingly, a hot temper when aggravated. Still, she respected him despite his youth, and he was proving to be a capable leader, despite his occasional naivety. Plus, he'd been willing to take Jane back after the whole incident just over a month before, so it showed that he at least had some kind of sympathy and respect for the unruly consultant. She wondered how far Wainwright would be willing to let Jane go in the future; maybe if he saw how efficient he was in the field, Wainwright would take a step back and just let Jane get on with with it, much in the manner that Minelli and Hightower had done in the past.

Haffner was the last to receive her attention. She'd always respected Ray, had gotten along with him and vice versa. It seemed, however, that he now painted her with the same brush he did Jane; tiresome and somewhat incapable of doing her job. She wasn't sure what she'd done to warrant his ire, but she figured that her mere association with Jane was enough for some people. Still, she hoped that she, and by extension Jane, might be able to bury the hatchet once the case was over. Haffner was a good agent, and it was always better to have people like that on your side.

Lisbon finished her analysis of her colleagues, and realised that they were all still reading through the numbers. She had the same file in front of her, but she'd put the information together and didn't really need to go over it again. She'd essentially stolen Jane's reasoning from earlier and was using the file as an excuse to look busy. Her mind, however, was drifting as she waited for the others to finish. Naturally, her thoughts drifted to Jane and she wondered what he was up to. She'd left him on her office couch earlier, but she'd caught Cho on the way out, and the stoic agent had mentioned something about going out to conduct a couple of last minute interviews. Lisbon knew that they were close to solving the case; a couple of alibis were still being confirmed and there was a suspicion that the two victims hadn't actually killed each other, so she hoped that Cho had gotten Jane to tag along. Hopefully, he wasn't causing too much trouble.

Her mind drifted back to the incident in the elevator that morning. She and Jane had been going to their own separate homes in the evenings, neither of them willing to take that extra step forward in the relationship with the constant presence of Haffner looming over their shoulders. Apart from a few, discrete kisses and the wonderful neck-rub he'd given her a couple of days previous, their level of intimacy was pretty much zero. At least, it had been until that morning.

And really, it had started off so innocently. She was beginning to realise that Jane was able to turn _any_ innocent gesture into something sensual and intimate in a matter of seconds. It was quite overwhelming, but Lisbon found that she enjoyed the head-rush she got when all of his attention was on her...

**Earlier that day…**

"Hey!" Lisbon looked up from her file as she heard the familiar voice. Jane was making his way across the lobby towards her; a tell-tale bag from Marie's clutched in his hand. Good, he'd brought breakfast. She was starving.

"Hey yourself!" she smiled warmly up at him, and the two stood side by side as they waited to head up to the bullpen. They were both early, so there were very few people in the building, and the area around them was deserted. "Sleep well?"

"Well that's a loaded question if ever I heard one," he replied good-naturedly. She knew he didn't sleep enough, and he knew she knew, and it was really a question for starting a conversation rather than of general interest. Although, she had to admit, he did look a little tired this morning. She watched as he shrugged slightly and looked down at her. "I slept ok, couple of dreams kept me awake though."

She looked up at him, concerned. It wasn't the first time he'd admitted to her about his nightmares, but rarely did he do it so openly.

"I hope they weren't too bad this time round. Nightmares are the worst."

"Oh no," he replied, a wolfish grin appearing on his face. "No nightmares. No, my subconscious treated me rather well last night." He paused slightly, and then leant back against the wall, folding his arms across his chest and eyeing her carefully, a dangerous look crossing his features. "Although, there was the one where you were positively torturing me, but that may have been down the handcuffs and the fact you were doing this really amazing thing with your…"

"JANE!" Her voice echoed so loudly off the walls that she winced, looking around to see if anyone had noticed. Thankfully, the only person who heard her shout was the security guard back by the main entrance, and he had been far enough away to have missed the reason for the noise. Lisbon suddenly felt her face flush with embarrassment and arousal, the vision of the two of them together flashing before her eyes vividly despite the few words he'd actually spoken. She flicked out an arm and hit his shoulder and he pretended to wince in pain before he laughed.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself. Still, it was a pretty pleasant dream…" he looked away wistfully, ignoring her look of fury. The elevator eventually arrived and the two of them stepped into it, thankfully still alone.

She didn't really know what to say to his outburst, and instead decided to focus on the doors of the elevators closing and the numbers of the floors slowly going up. The poor piece of transport was so slow that it normally took a minute or so to reach their floor, so she decided to bide her time by trying _not_ to think about herself and Jane in bed. She was doomed though, because it was something she thought about often, and really, she found she couldn't actually wait until they had the opportunity to step up their relationship.

It seemed that _he_ couldn't wait to start his food as he dug into the brown paper bag and pulled out a blueberry muffin. He eyed it greedily, and Lisbon rolled her eyes at the look. Honestly, the man was always thinking about his stomach. He was nearly as bad as Rigsby, and that was saying something. He took a bite, and chewed slowly, smiling at her as he did so. She noticed that a couple of crumbs fell onto his jacket and she moved forward to brush them off. However, as soon as she stepped closer Jane froze, looking at her. She was glad they were alone in the elevator - she was pretty sure that anyone who witnessed that intense look from the consultant would immediately figure out what was going on between them.

Lisbon carefully reached out, and watched as his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the snack. His gaze was still intently fixed on her and her movements. She decided to turn the tables on him. Yes, Jane was good with his words, but she'd found that he was pretty much unable to resist her touch. She traced her hand up his body and chest, walking her fingers up the buttons of his vest before placing her hand over his heart. She felt the steady beat quicken slightly under her palm and was pleased to note that despite his currently cool exterior, he was probably struggling to keep himself in check. She moved her hand again and slowly brushed off some of the crumbs that had fallen from his breakfast. She maintained eye contact as she did so, and she noticed that Jane's eyes were filled with a look for pure want.

In the space of about 3 seconds, she found herself pressed against the cold walls of the elevator, Jane's lips crushed against hers. He tasted of blueberry, sweet and delicious, as well as a hint of tea. . She wrapped one of her hands around his waist, tugging on his jacket, while the other hand drifted up into the soft blond curls she loved so much. She pulled on them a little as he deepened the kiss and Lisbon chuckled as he gasped slightly. He pushed closer, and she released a moan as he moved his lips to her ear

"No fair," he whispered, tugging at her earlobe, his breath hot against her skin, and she felt the goosebumps rise along her skin.

She didn't reply, found she couldn't really when he was so close and his lips were suddenly insistent against her own. She felt both of his hands on her hips as he pushed himself closer, and she absently realised that he'd essentially thrown her breakfast on the floor. Not that she minded right at this moment to be honest.

"Meh," she replied huskily, mimicking his usual casual tone, "have to try and even up the playing field somehow."

She could feel his hot, solid body against her, trapping her against the cool wall of the elevator. It felt amazing, and she wondered briefly if she could get away with just pressing the emergency stop button and jumping him. She glanced over his shoulder as he raked his teeth lightly over her throat to see how long they had… 4 floors...3…

She pulled him in for another searing kiss, her hands running through his curls as she pulled him closer. They didn't break the contact until the tell-tale 'ding' sounded that announced their arrival at the SCU. She gave him another quick kiss before breaking away, but he maintained a possessive arm around her waist until the doors opened. Thankfully, there was no one around, and the two of them stepped out as if nothing had happened. Lisbon turned to look at him, and laughed at his rumpled appearance. Jane's hair was a mess, his jacket slightly off his shoulders and the top buttons of his vest undone. She flushed slightly. When had she started undressing him?

She looked down at her own appearance and realised it was probably about the same time he'd undone the top button of her own shirt. Thankfully it didn't reveal anything too scandalous, and no one else would bat an eyelid at it, but she realised that she and Jane were pushing the boundaries pretty far at the moment. So much for not doing anything at work. She sighed and looked around, noting that the whole floor seemed to be empty. Lisbon risked a glance up at Jane, who, thankfully, was hastily doing up the buttons of his vest. He was refusing, it seemed, to tame his hair, but she quite liked it really.

She was tempted to kiss him goodbye, but she knew that wouldn't be a particularly wise move, despite their apparent solitude, so instead she reached across the small gap between them and laced their fingers together briefly before letting go. It seemed that the contact didn't satisfy Jane though, who stepped forward, feigning a need to get something out of her hair. Once again, his breath was hot against her ear and she bit back a moan.

"We are _definitely_ finishing this later," he muttered as he tucked a curl of her hair behind her ear and placed something in her hand. She watched as he disappeared up the stairs to the attic, and she wondered if he was retreating to do work or to just calm himself down. She had a feeling it was the latter; things had got pretty intense within the elevator in just a few moments. She looked down to see what he'd placed in her hand and smiled as she noticed that he'd picked up the bag from Marie's and passed it onto her.

She wandered over to her office, intent on eating her bear claw, having a cup of coffee and trying not to imagine Jane handcuffed to anything...

"Lisbon? Lisbon? Are you ok?"

She shook her head, bringing herself away from that morning, and realised that she must have been staring into nothing for quite a while, judging by the concerned looks from the other three occupants of the office. Luther's voice was quiet and she was relieved that it was he, and not one of the others, that had chosen to break her from her thoughts.

"Yes, sorry. I'm fine, just a bit warm."

Luther smiled at her reassuringly, and Lisbon briefly panicked at the thought that he knew _precisely_ where her thoughts had been moments before. Ugh. That was all she needed. She'd have to be more careful – she really didn't want to have another conversation with her boss about Jane, especially as the next one was likely to be more personal than professional. She reached out and grabbed her glass of half-finished water that rested on Bertram's desk and took a sip, willing the heat in her cheeks to dissipate.

Whatever it was that her face was showing, it was promptly ignored by the others, who immediately went back into a discussion about the pros and cons of Jane's continued employment. Lisbon settled in for the long haul. She knew that Jane wouldn't be sacked, nor would she be placed on suspension, the whole meeting was merely a show to let her know that she and her team were being watched, and closely. More so than ever before. Lisbon didn't particularly care; they were the best team in the CBI, it would take something incredibly drastic to force any of the higher ups to break them up.

XxXxX

Jane was waiting for her in her office when the meeting finished over an hour later. He was laid out on her couch, as per usual, a steaming cup of tea lying on the small table beside it and a Sudoku book resting on his chest. He watched her carefully as she entered the room as if he was genuinely concerned that the meeting may not have gone well. She smiled as she noticed a cup of coffee on her desk, and she wondered how he had known she would be re-emerging from Wainwright's office at that precise moment. As if reading her mind _again_ he smiled up at her and waved in the direction of the coffee.

"I saw Haffner wander through about 15 minutes ago; figured you'd all been let out. How'd it go?"

"It was fine, pretty pointless actually. Just the usual chatter about your continued employment, various discussions about whether we're better off without you etc etc."

He looked up, intrigued, before asking his next questions carefully.

"So, what was the final verdict? Have I been a good enough boy to be allowed to continue playing?"

Lisbon frowned slightly at his analogy; this wasn't a game. He must have noticed her frustration, as he held up a hand in apology.

"Sorry, didn't mean to be so trivial about it. Go on, tell me what happened."

So, she did. She revealed all of the discussions that had taken place, skipped over the part where she'd zoned out thinking of him and finally revealed that the reason that she had been 15 minutes behind Haffner was because Wainwright wanted to inform her that Jane was free to continue working but that he himself would be popping in from time to time to assist with what he called Jane's 'transition' back into the CBI fold.

Jane laughed at the idea that he was essentially getting a very well paid, not to mention youthful, babysitter for the remainder of his probation.

"Ah well," he chuckled, leaning back into the couch while looking at her, "at least Haffner's out of the picture as soon as this case is over, right?"

Lisbon nodded, taking another sip of the refreshing coffee. She was sat on the other end of the couch, having been unwilling to talk to him from her usual position at her desk. Plus, when she was sat here, she was within touching distance of Jane and that was always something she enjoyed.

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon going back over the final parts of the case, and while she suspected Jane had another plan up his sleeve, she was quite happy just to enjoy his company. He walked her to her car again that evening after every had left, and she wondered whether he would try to continue what they'd started in the elevator that morning. Thankfully he didn't, instead just kissing her softly once before whispering a quiet 'good night' and heading over to his own car. Lisbon belatedly realised that she was shivering, but she wasn't sure whether it was due to the chill of the evening or that fact that she and Jane were balancing so close to the edge that they were likely to fall off at any moment. She pushed the thoughts out of her head as she returned to her home for some much needed sleep.

* * *

The knock on the door broke Lisbon from her thoughts early the next afternoon. Officer Tom Yannick had been arrested earlier that morning for the murder of Callie Carson, and Haffner and Cho had been completing the necessary interview. Yannick had given them a full confession, so Lisbon, and to a certain extent Haffner, had been going through the final pieces of paperwork, double-checking that everything was signed off correctly.

Lisbon looked up and saw Ray standing in the doorway, a soft smile on his face. Since the meeting yesterday with herself, Wainwright and the others, Haffner had calmed down a lot, and Lisbon was pleased to say that Jane had managed to keep himself in check that morning as well. Lisbon knew that Haffner was still wary of her, but she knew he hadn't found anything untoward about herself or her team during their joint investigation and she was just relieved that the constant supervision would finally be coming to an end.

"Afternoon Lisbon. May I?" Haffner asked, gesturing to the chair in her office. He was carrying a file in one hand, and Lisbon watched as he tapped it almost absent-mindedly against his other palm.

"Sure, come on in," she replied, putting down her pen as she sat back and looked at him. "What can I do for you?"

Ray smiled and shook his head slightly.

"Nothing really. I've just finished the last bits of paperwork on my side regarding the case. You just need to sign it in a couple of places then I guess the case is officially closed." He handed her the file that he held and she flipped it open. Sure enough, he'd marked a couple of places that required her signature and she read through the file quickly before signing and handing the paperwork back to him. She smiled as she handed him her own paperwork from the case, and waited patiently as he read through her own work and signed everything himself.

Eventually, the two of them were sat in a semi awkward silence, the finished paperwork now taking pride of place in Lisbon's outbox. Lisbon didn't really know what to say to the man who had been observing herself and her team like a hawk for the past 2 weeks, and had, at one point, threatened the job of both herself and Jane. She watched as he ran a hand through his hair, as if he wasn't sure what to do with himself any more.

"Well," he said, suddenly standing up as if deciding that his presence wasn't really required any more in the office, "I better be off. One of my guys called me a while ago to say that we've picked up another case."

"Tough break," Lisbon replied, knowing that Haffner would likely not get any proper rest until his new case was solved. That was one of the disadvantages of being a cop - criminals rarely took an agent's sleeping requirements into consideration when committing a felony.

"Yeah. Still, that's why we do the job right? To catch the bad guys, even with no breaks. What was it that guy said? 'I'll sleep when I'm dead?'" He smiled at her again, and she returned the gesture. She was pretty sure it wouldn't take much for Haffner to completely trust her again; she figured it all depended on how well a certain blond-haired consultant managed to adhere to the rules that had been set out for him.

"Yup, that's the life we lead," she said warmly, and stood as well, offering her hand to the other senior agent.

Haffner smiled warmly as he shook her hand, his grip tight but not aggressively so.

"I hope we have a chance to work together again Teresa. It's been…" he paused then, as if trying to find the right word, "interesting."

She chuckled slightly, sparing a glance at Jane, who, if she didn't know better, appeared to be sulking on his couch in the bullpen. She could make out his head turned in the direction of her office, and she could tell that he was probably trying to figure out what the topic of conversation between Ray and herself was.

"Yes," she replied, returning her gaze to the man in front of her. "Interesting is certainly one way of describing it. But, still, we all solved the case and you can go back to your usual role I guess."

Haffner nodded, his gaze piercing hers as he spoke.

"Yeah, I'll be happy to get back to organized crime; a lot easier if you ask me!"

She smiled at that, and Haffner smiled slightly before muttering a quick 'goodbye' and leaving the office to go and get more information about his latest case.

It didn't take long for Jane to wander in himself and place a cup of coffee in front of her on the desk. He had a cup of tea in his other hand and she watched as he moved across the room to take his usual place on the couch. He didn't say anything for a while, choosing instead to sip his tea thoughtfully, watching her every move, but eventually his curiosity got the best of him.

"So, what did Agent Haffner want?"

His tone, to most people, would seem disinterested, but Lisbon knew that he was dying to know what had happened a few minutes ago. She shrugged and looked up at him.

"Nothing much really. We both had to sign some paperwork to close the case. His team's caught another hot one, so he's heading over there now. He said that it had been interesting to work with me and that he hoped he'd be able to do it again some time."

"Right."

His tone was laced with something that she couldn't quite place; something almost akin to anger, or maybe suspicion. She frowned at him. If it were anyone else, she'd have accused them of jealously, but this was Jane. Surely he wasn't jealous because of _Haffner_ of all people?

"Jane? Something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, no nothing. I just don't like Haffner, that's all, you know that. I feel he's always up to something. Makes me suspicious."

She laughed then. "Hello pot, meet kettle! Now you know how I feel half the time; normally when you come in here I half expect you to announce that you've caused some sort of international incident!"

He pretended to look affronted at her comment, but the way he retuned her grin meant that he'd taken no offense to her words. In fact, he looked almost proud. Jackass. He leant back on the couch, and regarded her carefully, as if trying to make a decision. Eventually, after a few minutes, he spoke.

"So, now that the case is closed we can concentrate on more important things right? Namely, our date," he paused, looking up at her, probably to ensure she hadn't forgotten that she'd agreed to go out with him. "Friday night good for you Teresa?"

She looked up and watched him, smiling over her cup of coffee. She pretended to think about it, dragging out her inevitable answer. She hoped this teasing between them would never end; it was such an important part of their relationship. Eventually, she took pity on the man in front of her, holding back a laugh at the nervous yet hopeful expression on his face.

"Friday sounds perfect Patrick."

His grin lit up his face and she couldn't help but laugh.


End file.
